Evans eyes three more before window closes

Shaq Coulthirst became the Stags’ sixth signing in the transfer window so far when he came in on loan from Peterborough yesterday with Chris Clements departing for Grimsby Town.

Now Evans is close to a permanent deal for one player and also closing in on another loan signing, which will take his loans tally to six but only able to play five of them at once.

“We are still working on it,” he said between phone calls. “We are nearing the top end of our loans, we’ve room for probably one more loan, which would make six.

“Obviously we have Kyle Howkins two or three weeks away, so probably for that period all five could be available, then it would be five from six. But I have always done that. I’ve never had a problem with it.

“It just makes it a little bit of competition within the big group competition if you like and that is healthy.”

But Evans is keen to get in some permanent signings.

“We now want to try to get over the line one or two permanent deals,” he said.

“I have had a long chat with a top end League One manager today about a permanent deal for one of his players. He has been very positive in response.

“I am now waiting on that young man’s representatives speaking to us, but we can proceed on that fairly quickly if we can get the green light from the boy’s agent.”

Evans said one of his deals may still come off before the trip to Cambridge, but it would come too late for anything other than a place on the bench apart from injury or illness.

“There is still a possibility, but they wouldn’t start,” he said.

“The players in the building today are the people focused on the training ground.

“It was important we got Shaq done today so a thank you to Darragh MacAnthony who expediated the deal for us to get him in the building and he comes into our thoughts.

Evans confirmed Stags’ interest in Blackpool forward Jack Redshaw was over.

“It’s as dead as dodos,” he said. “We tried to do something and Gary (Bowyer) was good to deal with. There were no issues. We just didn’t want to make it happen at the end of the day.

“People can conclude the boy Coulthirst becoming available changed everything.”