Carlisle United boss expects to seal eighth summer signing

Manager Paul Simpson says a Premier League loan player should join the squad in time for next Saturday’s friendly against Stockport County.

A deal for the young attacking player has been agreed and he will link up with the Cumbrians at the end of a pre-season trip with his parent club.

Simpson, meanwhile, says efforts are continuing over further signings with less than two weeks to go until the start of the League Two campaign.

United’s boss said of this week’s planned arrival: “They [his parent club] return from their trip [shortly], so the plan is for him to be in by the middle to end of the week to be involved in the Stockport game.

“He's had some minutes already, so he's not coming in totally cold, so unless something happens between now and then, I expect that to happen.

“Everything's agreed, the lad wants to come, everybody's happy with the deal.

“And then we'll just keep looking around and make sure that we get the right ones to give us that something different in terms of the areas that we want.”

Simpson, whose side produced a poor pre-season performance in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Rochdale, has made it clear he wants to add to United’s creative and attacking options.

He did, though, add that he may adjust some of his transfer plans if midfielder Ethan Robson’s hamstring injury rules him out for a period.

On further potential arrivals, Simpson told the News & Star: “We are looking to see what permanents [are there].

“We're at that stage of pre-season where players now start to become available, as clubs start to see what they've got, who's in their group, who's going to start and who's not.

“So, we're constantly looking, and that's Greg [Abbott, head of recruitment] and Jacob [Blain, recruitment analyst]'s job, to be looking and finding out who the circulars are saying are available.

“We've got ideas of what we want, we've got loan players that we're identifying as well, and it's just a case of trying to get the right ones.”