Cobblers 'in talks' over retaining loan players until the season ends

Chairman Kelvin Thomas is 'confident' that the Cobblers will be able to keep hold of their four loan players until the season ends - whenever that might be.

Under normal circumstances, Callum Morton, James Olayinka, Lloyd Jones and Scott Wharton would have returned to their parent clubs following the final game of the season against Newport County last month, unless Town made the play-offs.

However, all four are currently in limbo - much like the rest of the squad - as they wait to find out if and how the season will be completed before July 31st, which was set as the deadline by EFL chief Rick Parry on Tuesday.

Regardless of when the season resumes though, Thomas believes the Cobblers will still be able to call upon the services of their loan quartet.

He said: "We're talking to all the clubs individually and I think loan players will be an interesting focus next season as we get past COVID and get through this crisis from a financial perspective.

"The loan players were on the call on Monday and they're all engaged and they all want to play and I think their clubs want them to play.

"All the agreements are different. Some of them have a fixed end date but we're comfortable and confident that all of our loan players will be retained if we can complete the season."

Throwing the conversation further forward, Thomas believes there will have to be some significant changes to the loan market going into next season and beyond.

Loan players have had mixed success at the Cobblers in recent years but the likes of Morton and Wharton show the value they can bring.

"I think the loan player market has got out of control and therefore it will need a reset going forward," added Thomas.

"Previously, in years before, you'd pay a percentage of wages and we've tried to stick to that, but there's also some clubs in the Premier League that look for loan fees and things like that.

"That dynamic has changed somewhat so I think there will be a reset of the loan market but I'm not sure if loan players will become more important because it'll depend on individual clubs.

"We've tried to use it sparingly and we tend to use it more in January because it's harder to find players to sign at that time, but young Callum has showed us that if you use it right, it can be very beneficial."