Shrewsbury will set contract deadline - Hurst

Paul Hurst returned for a second spell as Shrewsbury boss in January

Shrewsbury Town manager Paul Hurst says the club will soon reach a stage where they will put a deadline on players deciding whether to accept or reject their new contracts.

Four players - goalkeeper Marko Marosi, defenders Chey Dunkley and Aaron Pierre and striker Daniel Udoh - are all considering their offers of fresh terms.

"I will touch base with players to have some sort of deadline," Hurst told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"Players go on holiday and have personal things going on.

"At the moment I'm quite relaxed about it but cannot wait around forever because it impacts the financial side and budget and ultimately how many players we need to bring in."

Hurst said he is being "realistic" over Slovakian Marosi with the "likelihood he will play his football elsewhere" next season.

"He did fantastically well for us. I've got no hard feelings - he's been fantastic since I came in. Ultimately there'll be a different challenge for him ahead," Hurst added.

Dunkley, 32, missed only one league game this season and has made 100 appearances for the club since joining from Sheffield Wednesday two years ago.

Udoh finished 2023-24 as Town's top scorer with 12 goals, 10 of them coming in League One, to record his second-best haul in his five seasons.

Hurst said hopes of keeping the pair "are in the balance" and that he is "sure both lads will get offers" to go elsewhere.

The Town boss did say he was "relatively confident" of getting a new deal done for Pierre who arrived in October.

Marko Marosi signed for Shrewsbury from Coventry City in June 2021

Hurst has already overseen the departure of eight out-of-contract players and says dealing with departing players is never easy.

"It's not an enjoyable part of the job," he said. "I don't take any pleasure from conversations that you have to have with players because I understand it's their careers."

That leaves him with only 10 contracted players ahead of next season and Hurst is understandably keen to get his recruitment plans in place.

"Ultimately there will be a deadline put to the players if we haven't heard," he said.

"That's not to come across as a dictator it's just natural that the process will have to happen.

"But it's really early and let's see how the summer progresses."

Town to take 'educated gambles' in transfer market

Hurst says plans for any signings need to "have an element of patience attached to it" admitting that it is "not ideal because we'd all like the squad in place now."

After finishing only four points clear of the relegation zone in League One, Hurst is aware who he wants to bring in will be shaped by the club's financial situation after Town posted a £3m loss for last season.

"Because of where we are financially we are going to have to look a some players a little bit differently - take some educated gambles," he added.

"We have to be a little bit smarter - what we're looking at and where we're recruiting from.

"The team needs an element of physicality to it. I want players to have a hunger - whether that's moving up a league or got a point to prove.

"Maybe they won't be the signings the fans get immediately excited about but over time they will appreciate and really like them."