Maidstone United manager George Elokobi has funds available to strengthen his squad

George Elokobi has held money back to strengthen his Maidstone United squad.

The Stones built an 18-man squad over the summer and have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the National League South season.

They’ve since added young midfielder Malachi Mbogbo and manager Elokobi is looking for further signings.

Sensibly, he’s ensured there are funds left over.

“We’ll assess it as the weeks go by but it’s important we look at the areas and the dynamism of the squad,” said Elokobi.

“We look at everything and go from there because there are games that will suit certain personnel and games that may not suit certain personnel, and we need the squad to be able to cope with the large volume of games coming up as well.

“It’s a marathon of a season, not a sprint, so we need to make sure the squad is healthy, and we need to make sure we have different types of players in positions we need to strengthen in.

“You have to hold some budget back because not every individual is going to work that you bring in, especially with the number of players we lost from last season.

“Yes, we want to replace them, but also you don’t want to do it too soon and finish the budget.

“You have to respect the budget because our owners are people of integrity, they’re doing their best in terms of supporting myself and the management team to give us what we want in terms of personnel, and they are always ready to help.

“They are on the other end of the phone, there’s clear communication going through the hierarchy, so they know, they are well informed and if they believe it’s going to add value to the squad, they do it.

“I don’t panic.

“We have to give it five/10/15 games and we’re going to know exactly where we need to be but it’s important we trust the players and