Steve says he is eager for Bakayogo to extend his stay with the Alex
Crewe Alexandra manager Steve Davis says he has spoken to members of his squad in relation to their position next season, but he also admits that with still a month of the season still to play out, he will still give others an opportunity to stake their claim for a new deal.
The Alex boss understandably has put certain contract talks on hold as we are still in a relegation battle, but he has told the club’s official web-site that he has spoken to the popular defender Zoumana Bakayogo about possibly extending his stay with us.
Bakayogo, 29, has battled back from two serious knee injuries to regain his match sharpness and he has been a major positive during the second half of the season for us.
Davis also admits that he has spoken to some of his younger players and told them they are unlikely to be retained beyond the current season.
Steve told crewealex.net: “At the end of the season there is sure to be some transition with the younger players coming through. There is sure to be some ins and some outs and the players are aware of the situation. That is football.
“That can be difficult when you are involved in a relegation fight and that has been the case over the last few seasons. You might need a player to come in and play for you, so you cannot really tell him that he isn’t going to be retained.
“We have been in discussions over players and what we would like to do before Christmas, so that has been on going. I’ve spoken to Zoumana about offering him something and I’ve had a conversation with Brad (Inman) about his future. It is still relatively early on that.
“I’ve also spoken to a few of the young ones who we won’t be keeping on. I think it is better to let them know early, so they have some time to sort themselves out if they can. I think that it is only fair with the younger ones.
He added: “For the others who are out of contract, it is up to them. There are seven games left and they can still impress in training and show that they want to have a future here. If they don’t then it is always easier to let them go.”