With the lower league play-offs due to conclude at the weekend, Airdrie’s Allan Russell should be a Killie player by this time next week.
Said Jefferies: “It’s coming to that time of the season when tough decisions have to be made.
“These final few games give players the opportunity to convince me that they’re worth keeping at the club.
“A few of the lads have contracts where the club has an option to offer them another year, provided they reach a certain criteria in relation to a number of games played.
“Then there are another couple whose contracts are up.”
It isn’t rocket science to work out that if Jefferies is planning to bring in new players then some current players will be heading in the opposite direction.
He said: “We have to get players in who have a chance of scoring goals, and we’ll be looking to rectify the problems we’ve had in that area over the close season.
“As far as Allan is concerned, we’re just waiting on the chairman and the player’s agent getting together, but everything has been agreed, and he will probably have a medical some time this week.
“Talks are also likely to take place this week between the club and Mehdi Taouil’s agent.”
The manager said that a lot of work had been put in over the past few months talking to agents and that would continue in the weeks ahead.
“Our aim of course, will be to have them in for the start of pre-season training,” he continued, “and I can assure our supporters that we will be working hard to bring in a number of players for next season.”
And so, there are likely to be a number of new faces on board when Killie jet out to their usual eight day pre-season training base at Il Ciccio in Italy on July 9.
But there are still another couple of fixtures to play before the curtain comes down on the current campaign.
Killie travel to Tynecastle on Saturday to play Hearts — the only team in the SPL that haven’t recorded a win against them this season.
Goals from Gary Wales, Colin Nish and Willie Gibson gave Killie a 3-1 win over the capital side on October 27, while the other two games between the clubs have ended in draws.
The final fixture is against Falkirk at Rugby Park a week on Saturday.
Simon Ford, who pulled a hamstring against St Mirren, is doubtful, but Taouil, who came on against Saints although not fully fit, could be in the starting line-up.
And there will also be a place on the bench for another of Killie’s promising youngsters, although the manager refused to name him ahead of the weekend.
But regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s match, it now looks like Killie will finish in second bottom spot as they lie five points behind third bottom St Mirren.
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