Jardim content with Newport’s summer business

Newport County head coach Nelson Jardim is satisfied with the business done by the League Two club in the summer transfer window.

The Exiles completed their 17th signing of the window on deadline day with the acquisition of giant striker Kyle Hudlin on loan from Huddersfield Town.

Though last season’s top scorer Will Evans was sold to Mansfield Town and longest serving player Scot Bennett departed for Cheltenham, Jardim believes the first full window of activity under chairman Huw Jenkins was a success.

The Newport boss said: “Losing Will was a massive thing, as I said before we did not only lose a good footballer we lost a good man as well, a good person to have around. But I guess this is football and I just wish him all the best for his career.

“On the other hand, yes we had a lot of players coming in, we knew that would be difficult, we spoke about that.

“I think people are now seeing that it’s hard work, but everything is coming together and hopefully moving forward can only get better.”

Jardim added: “We knew the ups and downs of this process, a lot of new players need to get to know each other not only on the pitch, but in terms of socially too. But I think we are doing a good job on the training ground.”

Reducing the age of the squad has been a feature of Newport’s approach, with every signing bar the return of striker Courtney Baker-Richardson being 24 or under.

Jardim said: “As it stands now (I feel) satisfaction because, like I said when we were signing players, we had to make sure they were the right characters, the right player to bring into this club, into this environment, and what we are trying to do here. In that sense I am very happy with that.”

Consecutive home wins over Doncaster Rovers and Accrington Stanley have helped gel the squad.

But injuries to Kai Whitmore, after scoring a stunning goal on his home bow, along with striker Hamzid Kargbo, who has just had surgery on a shoulder injury sustained on his cameo substitute appearance on debut, has underlined how unexpected problems can test the squad depth.

Jardim said: “I think we are never covered, we all feel that, because we don’t know what is going to happen next week. There are always random things that happen like injuries.

“But again we try to cover all corners as much as you can knowing there is a level of uncertainty you cannot control.

“But I would say I would be happy till January when the transfer window will be open. Then once we are there, we can sit back and assess what we can do for the future.”

Newport travel to Morecambe on Saturday, sitting fifth in League Two after two wins and a defeat from their opening three league games.