Jardim content with Newport’s summer business

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

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

Although last season’s top scorer Will Evans has been sold to Mansfield Town and the longest-serving player Scot Bennett set off for Cheltenham, Jardim believes the first full window of activity under Huw Jenkins’ presidency was a success.

The Newport manager said: “Losing Will was a big deal, as I said before, we didn’t just lose a good footballer, we lost a good man, a good person to be around. But I guess that’s football and I just wish him all the best for his career.”

“On the other hand, we did have a lot of players arriving, we knew it would be difficult, we talked about it.

“I think people are now realising that it’s hard work, but that everything is going well and that, hopefully, the future can only get better.”

Jardim added: “We knew that this process has its ups and downs. Many new players need to get to know each other not only on the pitch, but also socially. 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, barring the return of Forward Courtney Baker-Richardson Be 24 years old or younger.

Jardim said: “As things stand now (I feel) satisfied because, as I said when we signed players, we had to make sure they had the right characteristics, the right players for this club, for this environment and for 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 consolidate the team’s position.

But injuries to Kai Whitmore, after scoring a stunning goal on his home debut, along with those of striker Hamzid Kargbo, who has just had surgery on a shoulder injury sustained in his debut substitute appearance, have underlined how unexpected problems can test 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. Random things always happen, like injuries.

“But again we try to cover as many corners as possible knowing that there is a level of uncertainty that you can’t control.

“But I would say I’ll be happy until January when the transfer window opens. Once we get there, we can sit back and evaluate what we can do in the future.”

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