SAINTS are still looking to bring in another staff member - but may have to wait till the summer to do so.

After tempting Matt Crocker back from the FA, Saints are keen to continue their overall restructure, which is a process being led by chief executive Martin Semmens.

The new person will come in and help on the recruitment side of things, but it’s understood there is an emphasis on getting the appointment right.

Because of this, Saints could have to wait until this campaign comes to an end in May before any announcement is made.

It’s believed that they have adopted this approach instead of appointing someone who is available for the sake of it.

They are realistic in the sense that the best candidates are often already in jobs and it’s not easy to prise them away from other clubs midway through the season.

Although Martyn Glover works in recruitment, having joined from Everton last year, he is in more of an administrative role.

The St Mary's hierarchy believe it's important they appoint someone with an eye for talent, as not since Bill Green's passing in 2017 have they had someone doing that job.

Since Les Reed’s departure towards the end of 2018, and more recently Ross Wilson’s exit, Semmens has been actively trying to switch things up.

This led to Crocker being recruited as the new director of football operations, having previously led the club’s academy before leaving for a successful spell at the FA.

As well as an emphasis on picking the right person, Semmens will also want to continue with his approach of consulting people before bringing anyone else in.

This was a method he used when Crocker came back.

Semmens was in regular dialogue with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl about bringing the former head of academy back and it’s something the Austrian was on board with.

Saints are keen to veer away from the approach of letting one person make all the decisions regardless of the alternate opinions that could have been aired at the time.

Because the new person would be involved with recruitment, Semmens will be consulting Crocker, Hasenhuttl and Glover.

And now the new director of football operations has started at St Mary’s, he’ll be looking to get things in place as quickly as possible.

Saints, and Crocker, had to wait until his notice at the FA had been served before he was able to begin his role at Saints earlier this month.