With less than two-and-a-half weeks until the start of the Championship season, Boro are yet to make a single addition to their squad.
That could change in the next 24 hours or so, with Hull City defender Alfie Jones on the verge of completing a £3m switch from Humberside, but even if that deal goes through, Edwards’ first-team group still looks extremely light in a number of key areas.
“I’m pretty sure we will be in a really good place come the end of the window,” said Edwards, who watched his side lose 2-0 to League One Bradford City last night.
“I suppose my message to supporters right now would be: ‘Be patient with it, trust everyone is working really hard, and the plan is there it’s just taking a little longer than I suppose people have been used to in the past’.
“Come the weekend, we’re two weeks away from the start of the season, so we are getting close. Everyone’s aware of that. But there is a lot of hard work going on.
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“I know some people will be frustrated. In any window, supporters want to see new faces coming in and improvement in the group. We feel the same as well.
“The lads are working really hard, and I think we’re seeing bits of improvement. They’re learning what we want. But of course one or two new faces always helps. It’s not just the supporters, it also lifts the lads there in the dressing room as well.”
While Boro’s head of football, Kieran Scott, leads the recruitment process, Edwards is heavily involved and has seen at first hand why certain deals are proving more problematic than is ideal.
“The guys are working really hard on things,” he said. “We’re hoping to get a few reinforcements in. But, like I said at the weekend as well, there’s a number of parties involved with every deal, and sometimes one can really slow things down.
“It’s a little bit frustrating in one or two areas, but my focus then has to be on the group we’ve got here at the moment and work really hard with those guys.”
Edwards has an idea of how many players he would ideally like to sign this summer, although he concedes that could change depending on whether key personnel leave.
Rav van den Berg, who started at Valley Parade last night, remains the subject of strong ongoing interest from Feyenoord, with Boro having rejected two separate offers from the Dutch club earlier this week.
Hayden Hackney has also been the subject of external interest, with Ipswich Town having made an inquiry over his potential availability.
“We have a rough idea of how many we need at the moment,” said Edwards. “But obviously that can change depending on the lads we have at the moment. So that can change as the summer goes on.
“It’s hard. I don’t want to put a figure on it and put crazy pressure on the people that I know are working hard on that at the moment. I hope we get multiple in.”