Martin Ling confirmed talks are talking place with the attacker while he is optimism both Ruel Sotiriou and Sam Sargeant will stay at the club
Martin Ling has revealed Leyton Orient are looking to extend Josh Koroma’s contract by another year after activating a clause in his current deal to see the attacker remain at Brisbane Road until the summer of 2019.
The academy graduate was set to be a free agent on June 30, but the O’s triggered an option in his contract to extend his terms for another year.
Although Ling is pleased Koroma remains an Orient player, he is eager to tie him down to a longer deal such has been his improvement since the arrival of head coach Justin Edinburgh on November 29.
O’s director of football also confirmed Myles Judd will be part of the first-team squad heading into next season.
Ling said: “Both have clauses in their contract which gives them a new 12-month deal, but we are in negotiations with both of them about adding another year – more for Josh if we are being honest.
“We feel certainly towards the end of the season Josh improved and took his game on under Justin and it is also important he can play as a seven or 11 and as a number nine.
“To have a player with that type of flexibility is important for us and Myles has done well, but missed a period with injury, so next season is another big one for him.”
Koroma and Judd will not be the only academy graduates part of Edinburgh’s first-team in the 2018/19 campaign.
Forward Ruel Sotiriou has been offered his first professional contract and looks set to sign and goalkeeper Sam Sargeant is close to agreeing an extension on his current deal which expires on June 30.
Meanwhile Charlie Grainger, Sam Ling and Dan Happe remain contracted to Orient for the foreseeable future.
“We have offered Sam Sargeant a new deal, we have offered Ruel a professional contract and young Arthur Janata has been offered a third-year scholarship which has been accepted,” said Ling.
“It is at the stage now where most of them deals are nearly done and it is a case of tying up a couple of loose ends before we say they’ve put pen to paper.
“With Koroma and Judd, we have the kick in clause, so they have no option in it, it is down to the club, but we want them to want to be here and they want to sign for us – ‘Juddy’ for one-year and Koroma for two.
“I feel we’ll get there with them, it is just a case of getting the finer details right for these young players.
“When I arrived here there was a lot of young players and people say maybe we are trying to get rid of them all, but nothing could be further from the truth.
“Actually, we have kept the ones we feel were the best and that’s why we have kept them and next season there will still be half a dozen in the squad who have come through the academy.
“Sam Ling’s included in this and any squad which has a quarter, 25 per cent, is good, so we’ll also have Dan Happe, Charlie Grainger, Sam Sargeant, Josh Koroma, Myles Judd and Ruel Sotiriou and Arthur too, so eight with Arthur.
“Looking at the squad overall there is still some work in other areas needed before we can finish it off, but not mass amounts.”
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