Orient manager Russell Slade would love to keep midfielder Matt Spring

O’s chief would love to keep Spring

Orient boss Russell Slade has two more key targets in sight as he continues to rebuild for next season.

Slade has already signed defender Gary Sawyer from Bristol Rovers and midfielder Anthony Griffith from Port Vale and said: “My main focus was to get four players in and we have signed two so far.

“I have got a replacement for Charlie Daniels with Sawyer coming and we have got Griffith in for Stephen Dawson. It was a necessity to replace those two.

“Having lost Alex Revell, Jonathan Tehoue and Jamie Cureton, it’s obvious that now I need to get a forward in.

“I might need a defender too with Terrell Forbes going and after that it’s a case of trying to wheel and deal and then look at the long-term loan market.”

Like most League One clubs, Slade will be working with a reduced budget next season as the new wage-capping system is introduced.

Clubs can only spend a maximum of 65 per cent of their projected turnover on players’ wages.

O’s, who have an annual turnover of around £2.75 million, will have to slash around £400,000 from their playing budget to comply with the new regulations and that will make things tough for the O’s chief.

“Once we have the players in that we need and I know how much money we have left, then perhaps we can revisit one or two situations,” said Slade.

Last season’s stand-in skipper Matt Spring and defenders Dean Leacock and Syam Ben Youssef are out of contract and their situation remains uncertain given the tight wage cap restrictions.

“I would love to be able to keep Matt Spring and we will have to see what we can come up with,” said Slade.

“There’s no doubt capping has had a massive effect on us and we have got to cut our cloth accordingly.

“We will have to wheel and deal as much as we can.

“It probably equates to losing four or five players, but we will have a look at what we can do when our main targets are in place.”