LIAM Manning has explained how he sells Oxford United to potential new signings with a detailed presentation on what players can expect if they sign for the club.
United’s head coach has made use of the slideshows to help entice transfer targets to Oxfordshire.
So far this summer, the tactic has managed to aid bringing in half a dozen new faces.
Jordan Thorniley, Josh McEachran, Ruben Rodrigues and Mark Harris have all signed on permanent deals, while James Beadle and Fin Stevens have both signed on loan from Premier League sides.
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Manning said: “It’s an important part of what we do. There are no secrets in the presentation, it’s us and what we’re trying to create here.
“It’s the culture, the expectations, what to expect when you join, the way we want to play, the way we want to coach, the importance of the players’ roles, highlighting references of expectations.
“With players, when you’re honest and you’re up front, they then contact other players that have worked with you and get references.
“I push that for players that are looking to come here, do your homework and call about the club, and call about us, because ultimately we want that transparency and that clarity.
“The presentations have worked well so far for us.”
Work continues behind the scenes to add to the squad ahead of not just the opening game of the Sky Bet League One campaign, but Saturday’s pre-season clash at home to Sky Bet Championship side Queens Park Rangers.
On rivalling other clubs to capture the signatures of the players they have done so far this summer, Manning said: “Most of the players that have been signed will have had interest from various levels.
“Credit to Ed [Waldron, head of recruitment] because he’s been relentless in terms of the phone calls he’s been making and chasing people.
“We’ve had a huge number of meetings with players, to ultimately show them what we’re trying to build here – the culture we want, the way we want to play, how they fit within the system and what we’re trying to do.
“There’s a huge amount of work that goes into making a signing, it’s not just a quick phone call, there’s a high level of work to make sure that we get the right ones, and I’m pleased with what we’ve done so far.”
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Manning added: “We’re still in the process of adding but I’ve been quite clear all along, it’s about adding the right ones and not just rushing to get numbers in.
“We’ve got some quality in depth already it’s now about adding quality in key areas.
“We’re still working hard and I know Ed’s still working extremely hard behind the scenes.”
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About the author
To sign up to Liam’s latest Oxford United newsletter for free, click here: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/newsletters/
Formerly the politics reporter for the Oxford Mail, Liam now covers all things Oxford United.
Liam attends the U’s home and away, as well as covering other big sports stories across the county.
His Oxford United newsletter is released every Saturday morning at 6am.
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