George Bennett discusses the Walsall released and retained list - and whether players will accept new contracts.
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00:00 When will the cogs of the transfers start to turn?
00:28 The
00:44 contract doesn't run out until June 30th so it could be between now and then really. In
00:51 terms of a timeline it's difficult to really offer that at the moment. Jackson Smith deserves
01:00 that new contract first and foremost. It clearly shows just how much confidence the club have
01:08 in his abilities. They've let a goalkeeper like Owen Evans go who before Smith's breakthrough
01:14 around December time was first choice and Smith arrived there playing second string
01:20 and he's firmly established himself with some really impressive performances. You would
01:26 just like to think that by offering him that contract and by letting Evans go that they
01:31 have some level of confidence that he will sign it. Otherwise that brings up a different
01:37 situation entirely where you've lost two key goalkeepers there. That's clearly a situation
01:44 that Walsall wouldn't have been naive to put themselves in. Jackson Smith at just 22 years
01:50 old is clearly going to be a key player for Walsall going forward and by getting him on
01:55 a new deal would be a great investment. With Tom Knowles and Joe Foulkes, that one's currently
02:01 in negotiations. Tom Knowles came into that right wing back slot, it was an unfamiliar
02:08 role to him. I felt just before he got injured in March he was really beginning to show signs
02:13 that he was really starting to adjust to the role, especially defensively because we see
02:18 the runs he makes going forward. Sometimes there's question marks over the final ball
02:23 but he gets himself into great positions going forward. I felt sometimes he was a little
02:27 bit rash defensively and I felt that that area of his game was really improving before
02:31 his injury and he came back in against Wimbledon and struggled but that was off the back of
02:37 what was a number of weeks out on the sidelines. Joe Foulkes is another one who's come through
02:41 the academy and had a spell in the team earlier in the season and showed signs of promise,
02:49 then had to have a spell out of the team which was very difficult for him. But he came back
02:53 in when Knowles did get injured and I felt he acquitted himself really well and deserves
03:00 an opportunity to try and build on that now. But in terms of timelines, nothing at the
03:05 moment unfortunately but I can see why Walsall were in negotiations and offering contracts
03:11 to try and keep those players and get them on the ball for next season.