Wycombe Wanderers are close to finishing their summer recruitment ahead of the new League One season, according to head coach Michael Duff. The Blues travel to Blackpool for their league opener looking to begin the campaign on a positive note after an encouraging performance against Stevenage in the Carabao Cup last Friday, despite losing 2-1.
Duff revealed the club has completed the majority of its transfer business and is keen to build on the stability created during the summer. "We've probably done 95 per cent of the business now and we've done it quite early," he said. "There hasn't been wholesale change like there had been in previous windows. "One of the things we wanted was a bit of continuity and to build relationships within the group."
Why it matters for Wycombe Wanderers
While recruitment discussions remain ongoing, Duff confirmed no deals are close to being completed. Asked whether there were any imminent arrivals, he said: "No, nothing close yet. Not through lack of trying. "There's always conversations. "I had recruitment meetings yesterday with the owner, so there's lots of things going on. "But for anybody walking through the door in the next three or four days, no."
Attention now turns to the challenge of facing a Blackpool side that finished last season strongly under Ian Evatt and will be targeting a push towards the top end of the table. These will be the Tangerines' fourth consecutive year in the third tier after they were relegated from the Championship in 2023. Since then, they have finished 8th, 9th and 13th respectively. Duff expects a difficult opening fixture and believes the Seasiders are beginning to resemble their manager's preferred style. "They're looking more like an Ian Evatt team," he said. "They play with a back three, play really good football and finished the season really well. "They had a difficult start last season, as did we, but Ian really got them going. "They only finished three points behind us in the end."
Wycombe Wanderers have played Blackpool 31 times in all competitions. Wanderers have won seven of those games, Blackpool eight, with there being 16 draws. The last seven meetings between the two sides at Bloomfield Road have all ended in draws. Wycombe Wanderers have a League standing of 11th in League One, 63 points, 17 wins, 12 draws, and 17 losses from 46 games, with a recent form of WLLDL. They have scored 69 goals and conceded 58, with a goal difference of +11. They are 40 points behind leaders Lincoln in the title race.
