Manager Jay Saunders knows patience could prove vital in Folkestone’s summer recruitment drive.

With the club having confirmed their retained and released list, the main focus is now largely on who they will bring in ahead of the 2025/26 Isthmian Premier season.

No.1 Jonny Henly and midfielders Dean Rance and Jack Jebb, alongside striker Ade Yusuff, remain on deals while top scorer Dan Smith, midfielder Amadou Kassarate and defender Miquel Scarlett have been offered fresh terms - as have young prospects Dan Kennedy, Joel Odeniran and Brad Walledge.

Naturally, Saunders would like to know where he stands with them sooner rather than later, but isn’t about to make any rash decisions.

He said: “We have put something to them and said ‘This is where we’re at, let me know.’. But I’m not silly.

“They’re getting calls from other clubs. We have made them an offer at the back-end of last week and will be back in touch at the back-end of this week.

“It’s a bit of a game. Players might play the field but, sometimes, a better option becomes available.

“One thing I won’t be doing is rushing things. It’s easy to go ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah’ on the first few players that you’re offered.

"But some of my best signings have been made late.

“If we can tie-up the ones we have offered deals to, that’s great but, if not, no problem.”

There has been no shortage of people getting in touch with Saunders regarding prospective summer signings.

“From the minute I got the job, a lot of players and agents I know got in touch straight away,” he said.

“As a management team, we believe in what we do. I would like to think people would realise we wouldn’t come here just to go along with things.

“It’s a project we really believe in. In terms of the work we’re doing, that’s not just on the field, that’s backroom stuff, as well.

“I’ll be at the fans’ forum next Monday and, hopefully, we’ll have a bit more news by then.”

Among those to have attracted interest elsewhere is former Portsmouth striker Smith, 25, who led the way for Invicta in their 2024/25 season with 19 goals.

“He had a good season last year,” said Saunders. “We have had a lot of clubs calling me, saying ‘Has he left?’.

“He has got interest so we will just see how it goes.”

While Saunders has decided to let a fair amount of the Folkestone squad he inherited leave, he does so on largely good terms.

He said: “After the last game of the season, we let them know straight away. That was only fair.

"We had watched some games back on video before we took over and they have been good to work with.

“They’re an honest bunch and they tried hard. I think most of the time when a manager comes into a new club, they want to put their own stamp on it.

“You sort of need to let some go. If we don’t, it’s hard to bring people in!

“But the players were good.”

Left-sided defender Frankie Morgan - the younger brother of Blackpool midfielder Albie Morgan - is also after a new club, despite being named Folkestone’s young player-of-the-year.

Saunders revealed: “Coming into the club, we had people we’d earmarked as potential signings and that was one of those areas.

“But Frankie did well, I actually felt he was better as the left-sided centre-half, but it was an area I wanted to change.

“I’ve had some chats about him and I’m sure he will get a new club, no problem. There were a few we’ve released that me, Lloyd (Blackman, assistant) and Parky (Tom Parkinson, coach) were split on.

“Some of the players that we have let go were good players but, maybe, they just couldn’t do what we wanted. Evans [Kouassi] was one we twisted and turned on because he had a really positive impact when we came in.

“But we have made that decision with him and will go a bit younger.

“Ultimately, I make those calls as manager because I’m judged by that choice and that’s what we have gone with.”