DEREK ADAMS is expected to continue the revamp of his Ross County squad with the addition of the Cardiff City midfielder Filip Kiss on a loan deal with a view to making the move permanent.
Adams is hoping he will be able to include the imposing Slovakia Under-21 internationalist in his squad to face St Johnstone at home tomorrow.
He is also awaiting paperwork to complete the re-signing of the Greek left-back Evangelos Oikonomou, who was a stand-out performer for the Dingwall side in the latter half of last season, however the Manchester City goalkeeper Eirik Johnansen will not be joining the club on loan after negotiations with the Norway Under-21 internationalist broke down.
Adams believes that the 23-year-old Kiss, who played for Cardiff in the Carling Cup final defeat by Liverpool in 2012 and has made 30 appearances for the Welsh side, can energise his midfield.
"We're awaiting clearance for Evangelos Oikonomou and we're hopeful we can get Filip Kiss sorted out as well. They will be two very good signings for us," said Adams. "It is a wee bit difficult regarding Kiss but we are working with club officials at Cardiff City. Malky Mackay [with whom Adams was conducting negotiations but who was sacked last week] I've known for a good number of years and he helped us out on that deal. The terms of the deal will depend on various factors and either be a loan or a permanent deal through to the end of the season.
"I spoke to Don Cowie once, our former player at Cardiff, just to get some background on Filip. Don said he was a very good player, a talented individual. I did a wee bit of homework there and also spoke to Colin Calderwood and watched Filip as well. His contract is up at the end of the season. He is a central midfielder who can either play as a sitting midfielder or as one who likes to get into the box. I'm hopeful Oikonomou and Kiss could be in the squad for Saturday. We will just have to wait and see."
Garry Kenneth, the former Dundee United defender who played for County as a trialist, has also returned south without a deal while Orhan Mustafi, the Swiss striker brought in on loan from Grasshoppers, has left the club, but Adams is working on a couple of other unspecified targets.
County took a surge in confidence from the New Year derby triumph and Adams is looking for another positive result at home to St Johnstone this weekend.
He said: "Getting the first goal is vital in this league and we managed to do that in a very good performance against Inverness. We want to get back to being a team people don't like travelling to face."
Jordan Slew, one of Adams' other recent arrivals, was hugely influential in the win. Having completed the paperwork for the move from Blackburn Rovers just a few hours before kick-off, he proved a constant menace assisting in both of County's goals. At 6ft 3ins, Slew looks to have the physical attributes to make a big impresion on the Scottish game.
He was recommended to Adams by Eric Black, the former Aberdeen and Scotland striker, who worked with the player during his time at Ewood Park, where Slew arrived from Sheffield United for a fee of £1.1m in 2011.
Injuries, including a recurring back problem, have since stunted his progress while others from his international year group went on to thrive on the bigger stage. He now wants to build on his first taste of the Scottish Premiership, with a view to rekindling his best form while helping County climb the table.
Slew said: "I joined Blackburn for a bit of money a while ago but it's been a frustrating couple of years because of a back injury. The injuries stopped my progression but I've had a few loan spells and, hopefully, the problems are behind me now. I just want to kick on now and I've got a great chance to do that at Ross County. I played with guys like Tom Ince and Conor Wickham for the England under 19s - quite a few of them have gone on to be big players for top teams. They kicked on while the back injury killed me, really. But hopefully now I can kick on with my career.
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