Wednesday 20 May 2015 13:43, UK
Manager Steve Evans reckons Rotherham's successful campaign in the Sky Bet Championship will allow him to attract better players this summer.
On the back of successive promotions from League Two, the Millers stayed in the second tier despite a three-point deduction from the Football League in the final weeks of the season.
Having retained their status in the Championship, Evans will now try and build a team that can consolidate their position.
And the Scot thinks he now has a stronger hand to play with in the transfer market.
"We're a more attractive proposition to players now," Evans said. "I think players that we like who wouldn't have looked at us twice have been here and seen the passion and the atmosphere and the stadium and thought 'wow'.
"If managers and coaches are coming into my office on a bi-weekly basis and saying 'hey, what a nice place this is, what a beautiful stadium. What about the atmosphere? Wow, great', then players are saying it as well.
"It gives us the opportunity to hopefully attract some players that can take us on the next part of the new three-year journey."
Evans' activity in the transfer market represents the first part of his second three-year plan at the Millers.
Having delivered on what he jokingly promised to chairman Tony Stewart in his first three years at the club, the Millers boss is excited about what the next three may hold.
"I can vividly remember a few weeks after arriving here going out for dinner with the chairman - myself and Paul Raynor - and him asking 'where are we going to be three years from now?'," Evans recalled. "I tongue-in-cheek said to him 'you'll have just enjoyed a season in the Championship'.
"He got very happy about that, especially after a second glass of wine!
"Now we need to take a second three-year plan forward, which is quite exciting really if you're us."
