Crewe Alexandra’s relegation to League Two has not altered the club’s transfer strategy. Alex Morris says that relegation may prove more difficult to entice players to play in the fourth tier compared to League One but he and his staff are focussing on getting in good players with the right characters into the club to compliment what we already have.

The Crewe boss released nine players at the conclusion of the season with senior professionals such as Chris Porter and Luke Murphy not offered new deals, and our Finnish goalkeeper Will Jaaskelainen left the club after losing his number one spot to Dave Richards.

Alex told the club’s official website: “Going into League Two has not alerted my thinking on who and what we need. It may not be as attractive to play in League Two than League One for some and I accept that but we are after good players.

“The players we want will fulfil the roles we need. They will be clear on their responsibilities and duties and we want them to be consistent and help the performances of those around them too. If they are a seven out of ten every week, but can get those around them to be 8s and 9s then that is what we are after.

He added: “We want to have that pressure of performance. Without that fear of losing your place, the standards can drop and we want to avoid that.

“Now, we know who we want and who the targets are. That doesn’t necessary mean you will go and get your number one target because it doesn’t work like that. We have a list of who and what we need but of course, getting them through the door is a different proposition and that is why our recruitment is so vital.

He added: “What we do need is get a squad assembled and settled as quickly as possible and ready to go.”