THE POSSIBILITY of Kyle Knoyle and Dion Conroy choosing to snub Richie Wellens’ offer to remain at the County Ground next season does not concern the Swindon Town boss, who says there are thousands of equally capable players available.

Knoyle and Conroy are yet to confirm their stay at SN1 for next season despite being offered fresh deals this month.

They are two of six players that have impressed Wellens since his arrival in November, and have consequently earned the right to remain in the squad for the 2019-20 campaign amid the club’s proposed clear-out to increase player quality and decrease quantity.

Lawrence Vigouroux rejected the club’s contract offer at the start of the year, while Scott Twine, Luke McCormick and Danny Rose agreed terms – the latter pair both signing one-year deals.

With the Town boss stating he plans to keep a maximum of four players at the club next season from the group whose contracts were due to end this summer, it seems – on balance – that the likes of Olly Lancashire, Marc Richards and Jak McCourt among others could all leave in the coming weeks.

Wellens said: “Are Kyle Knoyle and Dion Conroy going to win us promotion next season?

“They can do a job, they have good talent and they’re good young players that can progress and do well, but come the summer, there will be thousands of players that will be out of contract.

“There are loads of players. You’ll get players that will say they don’t want a contract – they want this much money or that much money.

“Then it will come to the end of August, and those players won’t have a club. It can get to January and they still won’t have a club.

“I tried it with a player last year – they wanted a certain amount of money. By time we tried to sign him, if he took the money we offered him in the first place, he would’ve had more money in his bank.

“I understand the game is about money and contracts, but I want players that want to be here.

“In this league, we need four or five players that will work and run – the type that you can trust every week where you know what you’re going to get.

“In terms of Kyle and Dion, if they don’t want to be here then it makes me think: ‘Do we want to work with that kind of character?”

Only six weeks ago, Wellens stated he had no intention of a large squad overhaul in the summer – but poor results, and performances, in Town’s last six games have undoubtedly changed his plan.

Attracting the right characters that have the necessary desire and motivation to play for the club are what Wellens wants in his squad.

He added: “It’s happened too long at Swindon, where we’ve got the wrong character in and we’re left chasing our tail.

“Let’s get the right characters in, let’s get people that can play but mix as well. Our biggest weakness is defending our own box.”