SWINDON Town technical director Sandro Di Michele did not rule out a new signing arriving before the appointment of a head coach but admitted it will require complete faith in the club from both player and agent.

With Ben Garner having departed for Charlton Athletic, Town are currently in the process of lining up a replacement two weeks before pre-season is due to begin.

Not only is the manager’s position vital, but a cluster of fresh faces on the playing side will be key in order to enhance Town’s chances of promotion next term.

Di Michele is aware the club is in a race against time to have a fully-filled club before pre-season starts but is hopeful targets can be captured on both fronts sooner rather than later.

Asked if a new signing could be announced before a head coach is named, Di Michele said: “Possibly. Ultimately, it comes down to the individual.

“All we can do is say to the player: “this is how we play the game, this is our philosophy, this is our strategy.” We are going to get a coach that completely buys into it and has a reputation for that.

“All you can say is: “I appreciate you don’t know who the head coach is but understand our philosophy as a football club and understand that it means we’re only going after certain types of coaches.

“It does have a bit of an impact, but it’s that kind of chicken-and-egg situation at the moment.”

Although the overwhelming majority of head coaches would want a say in which players are brought to the club, Di Michele says the recruitment process will be made clear to whoever takes on the job before clarifying no signings will be forced on the new boss.

The English-Italian technical director – who has a history of working in data and analytics – says the club’s recruitment strategy will centre around statistics and finding players which will aid the long-term health of the football club.

He said: “Signings are able to be done, but it’s worth bearing in mind that whoever the head coach is, they will completely buy into our philosophy on recruitment.

“What we won’t do is give a manager players that they don’t want, but likewise we have a very clear profile on what we want from each player in each position.

“What we’re creating here is a sustainable football club. We’re going out and identifying the right talent through data, and that means we know those are the players who have re-sale value, those are the players who can play the Swindon Town brand of football.

“What we can’t be doing is, say the manager leaves in 12 months’ time, having a complete overhaul in playing staff which is what you see happen at a lot of clubs.”