39-year-old, Walsall-born Keates is said to be keen to add several new players to his squad over the coming weeks as he seeks to avoid a repeat of the Saddlers' 2017/18 campaign, which saw the side struggle towards the bottom of the tabe for much of the campaign.
One player who will not be joining the club is Blackpool forward Scott Quigley, who spent the second-half of last season on loan at Dean's former club Wrexham. The gaffer admitted that the striker is someone he admires but will not be making a move for.
Dean, Speaking via the Express & Star, said; "Quiggs is someone I took on loan at Wrexham. He has got a year left at Blackpool, he was not a Wrexham player, he was only a loan. He came in and got eight in 17 over the course of his loan period. But it was a case of him coming to Wrexham to prove to people at Blackpool he could do it at a better standard than he had with TNS.
"That is no disrespect to the Welsh Premier League. When he won all his trophies and was scoring all his goals, he was doing it with the only full-time team in the division. There are one or two others who have gone full-time now. He has gone up to Blackpool and only played a bit part. But he is not somebody who will be coming to this football club."