POINTS make prizes and places make players for Mark McGhee as the Motherwell manager gets ready to draw up his summer shopping list.

The Fir Park club are on the verge of securing Premiership safety as they close in on a top-six place. Ensuring Motherwell remain in the Ladbrokes Premiership will have a huge impact on what McGhee will be given by the club’s board to spend in the summer, while a top-half finish could mean even more funds are thrown into the pot during his recruitment drive.

The Motherwell manager admits each place in the table could signify as much as an extra two players for him to build a squad for the next campaign, and he is keen to get his side’s safety secured ASAP so he can get his masterplan in motion.

“You have to remember we have the change with the ownership and the Well Society,” he said.

“It’s going to be up to all of us, including them, to make sure that we generate as big a budget as we can. That’s something we are doing at the moment and we will see where it takes us.

“At this moment in time no [we’ve not discussed budgets]. If we knew where we were going to finish in terms of fourth, sixth or eighth we could then maybe say ‘Our budget is likely to be this’ but at the moment we can’t really define it.”

McGhee added: “Yes, each place matters. It could probably be the difference of a player, maybe more than one given what the overall budget would be. It is significant.

“It’s not even a case of top six or bottom six. It has no relevance really. It’s Premiership or Championship, that’s the issue.

“It’s as soon as we secure our position in the league, which we’ve not done yet. We could end up in the top six or we could lose every game and end up in trouble. That’s the issue.

“As soon as we have resolved that we can start to look at things. We have ideas about it but until we know that we can’t look too far ahead.”

It isn’t all about bringing new faces to Fir Park, though. For the Motherwell support, it is about ensuring those who have turned their season around stay for longer.

The spine of the Well team in the form of defenders Ben Hall, Stephen McManus, Stevie Hammell, captain Keith Lasley and striker Scott McDonald are all out of contract.

Apart from Hall, the other four are all defying their years by turning in starring performances in claret and amber, despite being the wrong side of 30.

However, McGhee insists age won’t be a barrier for this quartet in securing a new deal.

“Archie Knox came to our game a couple of weeks ago,” he explained.

“He phoned me afterwards and said ‘you can say what you like about Chris Cadden, Ben Hall, Marvin and these young boys. The key to your performances at the moment is Mick, Hammy, Las, McDonald.’

“He said that those guys are carrying it and allow the boys like Cads to go and perform. When they play Motherwell play.

“Age isn’t a barrier, it’s about how you maintain yourself. You have Las, Mick and Pearo, although he’s still under contract, and Scott McDonald, too. The way they maintain themselves is absolutely top drawer.

“I had a coffee yesterday down in Brighton with Colin Calderwood and we discussed Gordon Greer. He said that’s the one thing about him, whether he’s playing or not for them his attitude and preparation is excellent.

“That’s why he was able to play as well as he did the other night without playing games. Las and Mick are the same.

“Keith’s fitness is sensational.”