Two in talks over Ross County departure, but Staggies bring Dylan Smith back from loan at Arbroath to compete for places in Dingwall
After completing two loan signings last week, Ross County could be involved in two more deals before this Saturday’s match against Hibernian – only this time going out of the club.
A number of first team players were not included in the Staggies matchday squad as they exited this season’s Scottish Cup, with January arrivals Nohan Kenneh, Jonathan Tomkinson, Zac Ashworth and Kieran Phillips included in the 19.
Manager Don Cowie had previously said that he would not stand in the way of players who wished to explore other opportunities to play more often, and he has confirmed that two negotiations are in progress for players currently registered with the Dingwall outfit.
“There’s a knock-on effect when players come in to the club,” he explained.
“There are potentially two players who will leave the club this week. It’s still very early, but we’ve given them permission to speak to clubs that would put them in a better position to play regular football.
“We’ll see how that goes. I won’t say who, but there are a couple of players who potentially won’t be with us by the weekend.
“There could be a loan and a permanent, but it’s very early so I don’t want to go into too much detail.
“If it doesn’t materialise, they are still very much part of our football club. Everyone is here for a reason, because I believe in them, but at the same time if I believe I can help them go and play football then I’ll do that.
“If not, they will come back fighting to play for this football club.”
One player who has returned to the fold at Ross County, though, is Dylan Smith.
However, Cowie has confirmed that Smith is back with Ross County’s squad and is available to play against Hibernian this weekend.
“It was an important decision, not just for Dylan but as a club going into the second half of the season,” Cowie explained.
“We have not had Ricki Lamie or Will Nightingale (fit), so we have to make sure we are best prepared for that moving into the second part of the season.
“We’ve got real competition now, which we have not had enough of.
“We have tried to leave it as late as possible, to give Arbroath the respect they deserve. The communication has been very consistent and clear, but right now we feel it’s important he’s here with us.
“There were several factors. We have to take into consideration the existing players we’ve got.
“Kacper (Lopata) went off injured last week, so we are always aware of that – and could it be more than what it is.
“Will is not close to being a part of the group, and we’ve just not had Ricki Lamie available enough for the first six months of the season.
“We take all that into account, and the fact Dylan has been playing regular football. We could try and get somebody else, and leave him where he is, but the decision right now I believe is the right one in terms of him coming in to be involved this week with us.”
With the well-documented fitness issues affecting Will Nightingale so far this season, questions have been asked about the future of his loan deal.
Nightingale is signed up on a temporary deal in Dingwall until the end of the season, and County have maxed out their available cross-border loan slots.
Cowie has not ruled any scenario out regarding Nightingale’s future, and says a final decision will be made in the closing stages of the transfer window.
“It’s ongoing – we will see how Will gets on,” Cowie added.
“He’s getting a scan on Wednesday, because he had a setback a couple of weeks ago.
“We have tried to let it settle. Now he’s at a stage to get a scan, we will have more clarity in terms of where he’s at.
“We also have to take into consideration that he has been out for the best part of five months now, so it’s going to be tough to then get up to speed.
“We don’t have many games left – there are 15 left. Once we get that result of his scan, it gives us more clarity in exactly where he is. We can then make decisions from there.”