St Helens recruitment update as prospect of new additions outlined

St Helens coach Paul Wellens has played down the prospect of any new recruits joining the club in the short-term.

The Saints are facing somewhat of an early-season injury crisis, underlined further this week by the news that winger Kyle Feldt will be ruled out for the next three months after being told he requires hand surgery.

That has left Wellens’ side incredibly light in the outside backs in particular, with the likes of Feldt, Lewis Murphy, Owen Dagnall and Konrad Hurrell out injured as it stands.

There have been suggestions that the Saints could look to do some transfer dealings as a result – but Wellens told Love Rugby League that unless something changes, that will be unlikely.

“We’re pretty close to cap, to be honest,” he said.

“Because this is all very new and the situation with the injuries is changing, we can have some discussions. But in terms of bringing anyone in, we’re not at that point.

“At this moment in time, we’ll have to look to back the strength in depth that we’ve got.”

Wellens also admitted that he foresees some ‘evolution’ in his squad beyond this year, with a plethora of players off-contract later this year.

He said: “I think there will be some evolution and naturally, that happens within a squad every two or three years. The squad gets freshened up and we’re always looking to promote from within.

“We’re identifying which players will come up and add value to the squad, we’ll try and retain our better players and we’re always looking externally.”

Two players who look likely to leave are Joe Batchelor and James Bell, both of whom have been linked with a move to Hull FC.

And when asked about the pair’s future, Wellens was coy.

He said: “There’s nothing too much I can sayat the moment. I’ve had conversations with a number of players and had some honest conversations but I don’t want to break trust and divulge things.

“Whenever things pan out whichever way they do, I’ll be sure to let everyone know.”