Holmes: I'm ready for whoever wants to give me a deal

Ricky Holmes says he's having a look to 'see what's out there' following the end of his contract with the Cobblers on Saturday.

The 33-year-old penned an appearance-based, short-term deal with Northampton in November but Keith Curle is yet to offer him a new one due to the limit on squad sizes.

That means Holmes is open to signing for another club during the January transfer window.

Speaking to the Southend Echo, Holmes said: “They’re still looking at offering me a contract but they just can’t do it at the minute because they need to get players out so I’m free to speak to other clubs and see what’s out there.

“I’m completely ready to go for whoever wants to give me a deal. I believe I’m only going to get better because the more I play the stronger I’ll get. But I’ve got my agent to tout around and see what’s out there.

“I think I played 13 odd games and I was playing three in a week so I know I have no issues. I’ve trained every day so it’s served a purpose.”

Southend, currently bottom of League Two, would be a strong option for Holmes.

“I’ve given my agent a list of clubs and Southend was definitely at the top of the tree,” added Holmes. “Everyone knows I’m a boyhood Southend fan and I used to sell programmes there as kid.

“It’s the club I check the results for first every week and it’s just a shame they’re not doing as well as they can. But if they gave me a call then I’d definitely be very, very keen to come down and sign and try to help the club the best I can.”