Speaking at Tuesday evening's 'Meet the Manager' event Keates, who was joined by assistant manager Andy Davies, revealed that only two of the five trialists who took to the field against Ajax Amsterdam are still with the club, meaning that former Bolton Wanderers scholar Michalis Giorkatzis, who had been with the Saddlers squad for most of the pre-season campaign, has now gone elsewhere.
The manager, who was speaking in front of around eighty Walsall supporters, said; "There are two lads left here from the trialists who played against Ajax. Both have played at centre-back. We will continue to look at them and decide if they will be involved in the friendly against Cheltenham on Saturday."
The manager also insisted that he is not concerned about any potential new arrival having very little time to bed in to the squad as defenders often find it easier to learn in the job, he continued; "I think, centre-half wise, it’s a bit easier to slip into a team than if you are a winger or striker. You just drop them straight in and they know their responsibilities.
"But defending isn’t just about defenders. It’s the whole team. The compactness of the team has been progressive over the friendlies. We kept our shape better against Villa than we did against Stoke and better again against Ajax. We are starting to look a more organised unit."