'Important' that some players leave, says Chesterfield boss Paul Cook

The Spireites boss wants to improve the starting line-up, rather than just the squad, but reiterated that they can’t keep stockpiling players.

It is all part of the long-term vision for the club, which includes securing some of the currrent crop to new contracts.

He told the DT: "There has to be an outdoor, and that creates an indoor. My job as manager is sometimes to take a little bit of pain in relation to having long-term gain.

"So, for me, we have got to work on these outs, they are important, they create space in a budget, they create space on a wage bill.”

Asked if he would like one or two players to leave, he added: "Yes, but I am not going to go into that, the time and place is not now. That is for working behind the scenes. I work with John Croot and Andy Fantom on a daily basis, they are really, really supportive and really good people.

"We have a plan in place that we want to implement to take the club forward which will see the squad getting to numbers that we want, personnel within the squad changing, and signing one or two players that we believe will improve the team, not the squad.”

One player who has departed this week is Calvin Miller.

The 24-year-old has left by mutual consent after just over a year at the Blues.

“Calvin has been desperate to get back up to Scotland,” Cook said.

"He went on the transfer list in the summer due to the fact he wanted to return north.

"He is a cracking young man who has played his part.

"We felt it would be a good opportunity for Calvin, rather than wait until January, he can go back home now and probably go in and out of a few Scottish clubs. He could train at a football club for a week or two up to Christmas and hopefully earn a contract back home up north.

"He has got a young family. It will be great for him to go home, he could end up somewhere else, that is football.

"We all at the football club wish Calvin well.”