Colchester boss Danny Cowley on January transfer window plan

DANNY Cowley expects arrivals and departures at Colchester United in next month’s transfer window.

And the U’s boss anticipates ‘three or four’ players leaving the JobServe Community Stadium in January, as he plots a rise up the League Two table in the second half of the season.

Colchester were extremely active in the summer transfer window, with more than a dozen new players coming in and as many players leaving for pastures new.

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The U’s will have a number of out-of-contract players next summer and Cowley says they are aiming to do some more business when the window reopens, on January 1.

Cowley said: “I do expect comings and goings, in January.

“Probably people have to move out, for us to bring in.

“I do see three or four going out, in January.

“We have some players that are coming out of contract.

“When I have players who are coming out of contract in the summer, I always try and be as honest as I can and as early as I can, because I know uncertainty in any walk of life is never easy to live with and it can create anxiety and that can create space, which can hamper performance.

(Image: Richard Blaxall)

“So always, we try to be as clear as we can with players and as early as we can, so the players know where they stand.

“If there is nothing for them in the summer, then normally they try to find a solution, as early as they can, which makes sense for everybody really.

“I don’t like too many coming out of contract together; it’s never good for the dressing room to have too many in that position if you can avoid it and you can’t always avoid it, but it’s something that we like to do.”

Colchester have been particularly active in the January transfer window over recent years, having found themselves in a perilous position in League Two.

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Cowley has stressed that he it is a situation he wants to avoid happening again.

“We inherited a group where a lot of the budget was spent,” added Cowley.

“I think Robbie (Cowling), in previous years, has had to bail the team out in January and then the club has ended up over budget – we don’t want to be in that position and I don’t think that’s a good way to live.

“I certainly don’t think it’s fair on Robbie and I think for us as a football club, we want to have a clear strategy and a clear way of working within the budget constraints that we have.

“People talk a lot about finance in football and it’s important of course but it’s actually how you spend it.

“We have some of our budget that we’d like to use intelligently, if we can.”