Boss Joe Royle has returned from a short holiday and says that he doesn't expect to be making any immediate signings. The Town manager is liaising closely with chairman David Sheepshanks and his board as they assess the levels of cash available for squad strengthening over the summer.

Royle told the club site: "I'm working closely with the chairman and the board to finalise our finances for the summer.

"They are not quite completed yet and there maybe other developments that will come into play, but it's a quiet time at the moment anyway.

"There are very few players moving to new clubs in May anyway, so I don't expect anything to happen here yet for a while."

The new share issue which was due to be ratified at yesterday's board meeting will provide the Town boss with cash to spend later on in the summer and is likely to be one of the "other developments" Royle mentions.

Elsewhere, Wigan have released defender Stephane Henchoz. The 31-year-old was linked with the Blues last month but the report seemed little more than idle speculation. Although Royle is after a central defender, he has said on a number of occasions that he is after a player in his early twenties, a couple of years ahead of Chris Casement in his development.

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