Coventry City fans will no doubt be pleased to hear the news that Chairman Ray Ranson has publicly stated that new contract talks with star player Keiren Westwood are a top priority.
After the traumatic events of yesterday morning when Mr Ranson went to the Ryton training ground to sack his manager and to inform the players of the decision, one of the first things he did was contact Westwood's agent to open negotiations about tying the highly rated and talented Irish international goal keeper to a long term deal to keep him at The Ricoh for several more years.
Ranson moved to reassure fans about his commitment to the club and his ardent desire to keep Westwood at Coventry. He said, "My focus on that side of things is to try to get Keiren Westwood on a new three year contract and I am meeting his agent this week, so it doesn't stop for me."
"I'd like to think we can do it. I have got a mandate from the board to do it and Keiren wants to stay. We are seriously trying to do it within the budget, so unless he's asking me for £100,000 a week..."
If more reassurance was needed for the fans of the club, Ranson went on to say that whoever the new manger is, he will have funds made available to strengthen the squad, but Ranson does not want to see wholesale changes made to the squad.
Mr Ranson had said previously that the players Coventry City have are better than their 19th place finish would suggest and he would like to keep most of the team together to form a nucleus for the new manger to work with.
"We have spent two years restructuring the club both at Ryton, the Ricoh and the playing staff etc and to go in for wholesale changes would be ridiculous, so my recommendation to the board will be that we don't do that," said the chairman.
"We are looking for a guy who will come in and energise the players and work with the current staff and contracted players and add to them. Steve Harrison will be staying. He has got 12 months left on his contract and have got some good players and good staff and I have always tried to bang on about stability to move the club forward, so there won't be wholesale changes."
"We are looking to add to the contracted players for next year by investing in the team and hopefully get the right man to take us forward on that front."
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