The men behind the deals at Shrewsbury Town

Ricketts has already brought Ethan Ebanks-Landell and Daniel Udoh to the club this summer, with more incomings and outgoings to follow. But managers can’t do everything themselves.

Adam Henshall is head of recruitment and performance analysis at Shrewsbury.

Henshall, who is from the town, initially joined the club in 2014 – first in a part-community role – before stepping up to his position as head of recruitment in 2016.

He oversees the club’s nationwide scouting network and works throughout the season primarily identifying targets and liaising with agents.

His role at the club is two-fold as Henshall also takes the lead on pre and post-match analysis of all Town first-team matches.

Henshall, who is based at Sundorne Castle with the first team, works very closely with Town’s manager and chief executive in setting up possible deals.

While a manager or chief executive have contacts to help bring players to the club – for Ricketts, see Dave Edwards and Brian Caldwell, see Greg Docherty – Henshall has been central to most of Shrews’ incomings in recent years.

The head of recruitment also leads Town’s scouting network of around half-a-dozen talent-spotters dotted around the country. He will liaise with the scouts and receive feedback for the manager.

A new face in at Town is Luke Fogarty. He followed Ricketts from Wrexham, joining as first-team scout. He too is based at Sundorne generally, but takes in a vast number of matches throughout the season.

Ricketts is happy for Fogarty, whose dad was a scout, to be his eyes assessing players.

Fogarty previously worked at AFC Telford United with former Bucks boss Rob Edwards last season.

“Adam does an awful lot of good work at the club. He’s still in charge of the scouting network and everything like that,” said Ricketts of Town’s set-up. “I brought Foggy in because it’s someone who can go out and watch these players.

“If we play on Saturday I can’t go out and watch player X, but Foggy can. He can be the eyes to see them live. I can watch them on video and Adam can. Adam is obviously with us on a matchday as well.

“That’s where it complements everyone really. I’ve not changed anything. Adam had set that up, we have a group of scouts spread out throughout the whole country covering as much as we can within detail.”

Ricketts, who is leading a staff cull at Town with Danny Coyne gone and more set to follow, knows what he wants from his scouting department.

“We are quite specific in what and who we watch. It’s a network that spreads far and wide while we look at players who will make the difference for us,” he said. “Of course we have to have trust. We have to be very specific in what we want and that comes from me.

“We work very closely in terms of what we’re trying to recruit in areas of the pitch.

“Budgets come into that but also attributes of what we want in each position and trying to find the ones that can make us successful.”