Simo Valakari confident St Johnstone will have ‘good transfer window’

Simo Valakari is confident St Johnstone will enjoy “a good transfer window” as they bid to boost their prospects of avoiding relegation.

The Perth side are five points adrift at the foot of the William Hill Premiership after failing to win any of their last seven matches and the manager, who replaced Craig Levein in October, admits they need some shrewd recruitment to have a chance of survival.

Valakari is yet to make any signings and has had on-loan defender Lewis Neilson recalled by parent club Hearts, while Kyle Cameron is expected to have his loan from Notts County cut short after being left out against Hibernian on Thursday.

However, the Finn is confident that patience will pay off in the transfer market over the coming weeks.

“Now we are in this moment when the transfer window is open, I know it might feel to people outside a very slow process – ‘where are the signings?’ – because everybody knows we need signings,” said Valakari.

“But we have had all the time a very clear plan of how we want to work at the club. We need to do the right steps to make us stronger, and that’s what we have been starting to do now for a long time. It will be a good transfer window, I believe.

“Sometimes it might feel a little bit slow to make these steps but it is not linear where we just bring the players in. We need to do the right steps for the club, for the team, to make us stronger.”

Makenzie Kirk, who had scored four goals in his previous seven matches, missed out on Thursday’s 1-1 draw at home to Hibernian and Valakari is unsure if the 20-year-old striker will be fit to return for Sunday’s match at home to Dundee.

“Makenzie has played a lot of football and he was feeling something,” the manager said, addressing his absence against Hibs. “He is a young boy and he was telling me ‘gaffer, I will be ready for Sunday’ but it is touch and go. We will see how he is.”