Sale boss Steve Diamond has revealed his transfer business is far from over with the Sharks set to bring in three more signings before the new Premiership season begins in September.

As well as stepping up his search for a replacement for England fly-half Charlie Hodgson who has moved to champions Saracens, the Edgeley Park executive director of sport is also actively perusing two further backs to complement his new-look monster pack.

Issues

And Diamond is also closing in on the final appointment to his back-room staff, with the former Sale hooker seeking to have a specialist backs coach on board by next month.

“We’re in the transfer market and we’re looking to sign three backs – a full-back; a centre and a fly-half,” Diamond revealed.

“In terms of the search for a fly-half, we are making headway with a specific target from the southern hemisphere in mind but the paperwork issues mean that the person we would like to bring in might not be able to come here until October.

“As regards a new full-back, we’ve got Nick Macleod and Rob Miller who can play there, but we are currently interviewing and we have several irons in the fire there.

“We’ve looked in France but things have to fit in with what we are doing here so the search continues and we are not desperate. There are lots of people available but it is a question of finding the right person.

“But by the time the new league season starts I’m hopeful that we will have secured a new full-back, a new fly-half and a new centre.

“As to whether it is a 12 or 13 that we bring in at centre, I’m fairly open-minded about that, but again, it depends on who is available.

“In terms of the final addition to the coaching staff, we’ve got a short-list of four and we are going through a secondary interview process at the moment.

“That position won’t start until July 10 when we really start the rugby sessions, so we’ve still got a little bit more time to put that right. It will be a backs coach who will have a directive to head up the game plan.”

Having instigated a wholesale overhaul of the Sale squad following two years of flirting with relegation, the bulk of Diamond’s new-look party has already been back in pre-season training for a fortnight with the Sharks having the distinction of coming top in one field, being the first squad back preparing for the new campaign.

Part of that is down to a desire to shape a new professional work ethic and dynamic at a club who, in Diamond’s words, have been humbled in recent years.

But equally that early return has been driven by a desire to bring the playing squad up to scratch in fitness terms with the Sharks supremo scathing about the condition of the players when he returned to the club in February.

“So far the attitude of all the guys has been fantastic.The facilities are great and the next batch of players arrived yesterday, mainly the lads who finished the season a little bit later and then that’s it really as we will work through with his group up until the World Cup.

“The benefit of being so bad last year was that we finished early so we got four weeks off! We’ve now got them in for a very hard four weeks, they will get another week off, then they are back in for three more weeks before another week off.

“So they will get two weeks off in between eight or nine smash weeks which they are happy about.

Embarrassed

“They want to get fit and they know the levels they were at were far lower than expected.

“It was apparent before I even started the the fitness levels weren’t where they should have been and it’s been proven. In fact, the existing players have been slightly embarrassed by the lads who have come in.

“There are no excuses, the environment we have created here is a no-excuse one. We are in charge of our own destiny.

“As to why we are here, we are here to make this club which has been humbled into a major force and that’s what everyone is on board for.

“From the guy who does the laundry, Robbie Dickson who has been here for 40 years, to me to the players who arrived two weeks ago.

“Everyone knows their job in hand and there’s no hiding place.”

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