New Gloucester boss Bryan Redpath has admitted that he will need to strengthen his squad before the start of the season if the Cherry and Whites are to challenge for domestic and European honours.
Redpath, who took over from Dean Ryan at Kingsholm earlier this summer, has made it clear that he feels his squad is short of backline players, just two-and-a-half weeks away from their Guinness Premiership opener against Bath on September 6.
Last season’s EDF Energy Cup runners up had hoped to have added Seru Rabeni to their squad last week but the former Leicester centre cum wing failed a medical on his arrival in the West Country.
That setback has left Redpath short of midfield options after Olly Barkley, Anthony Allen and Jack Adams left the club at the end of the last campaign.
Gloucester are also struggling at full back and out wide and Redpath is desperate to address the situation before the new season kicks off.
"There’s no question we are light in the backline at the moment," Redpath told the Gloucester Citizen.
"We have to fill that gap, probably with two players."
Injuries to other key players and no apparent sign of new squad member Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu’s work permit has made the situation even more pressurized as Gloucester look to bounce back from last season’s failure to reach the Premiership play offs despite starting the competition as one of the league’s most-fancied teams.
"Morgs (Olly Morgan) and Henry Trinder have little niggles. We have three scrum-halves in a squad of 17 and no Seru.," added Redpath.
"We’ve got to get out there and find the right person to come in and make sure that they are quality and can carry on what we’ve started. That’s a challenge for me to go out there and find them over the next three or four days.
"Eliota has come from Bath as well so he has to fit in. He’s fully fit but his registration and visa stuff has to come through.
"Olly Morgan and Nicky Robinson are others to come back in, but we will certainly look to strengthen over the next week or so."
