Stevenage’s summer signing spree has reached seven – and fans shouldn’t expect that to stop any time soon.

Joe Fryer’s arrival from Middlesbrough followed that of Harry Beautyman, Alex Samuel, James Ferry, Danny Newton, Joe Martin and Blair Turgott.

But with a number of players, like Jamie Jones and Steven Schumacher, not expected to return for the new campaign, manager Darren Sarll says the recruitment process will continue

He said: “We’re light on numbers and we’re nowhere near done. We don’t start the season tomorrow; we start in five or six weeks.

“I keep saying this process took until August last year and I felt the season didn’t start until Jack King came to the club.

“So much can happen. Pre-season can be misleading and we’re in a completely different place to where we were last year.

“We need to evaluate what’s going on in the dressing room, on the pitch and keep working with the players.

“It’s a long old season and there’s going to be a few more in.”

He said the figure could reach double figures but was dependant on other factors.

He said: “I think that depends on who goes out on loan and what happens in the next few games.

“We do need to bring in a central midfield player of an established kind and ideally another centre-forward and being greedy another centre-half and another right-back to support Ronnie Henry.

“I’m not sure I’ll get everything but I’ll certainly do my best.”

With so many new players, Sarll knows that will only increase competition for places.

But he is looking forward to working with them.

“They’re at an age where you can still develop them; you can still improve them,” he added.

“What we’ve got to remember at this club is there is a constant evolution of players.

“Now that the senior players from last season have not returned to the club, the likes of Luke Wilkinson has to step up, King has to set up, Fraser Franks too.

“Hopefully from the outside people will see we are trying to get players that are going into the prime of their career and have that ambition and hunger to go again, to keep moving forward.

“No-one lasts forever in football and it was important we freshened it up with fresh blood and some new projects that we can work with and hopefully bring out the other side.

“They’re all going to have their time here when they shine. They’re all going to get their time when they get their opportunity.”