There has been suggestion from those 'in the know' (and I'm certainly not) that we failed to sign any of our prime targets, because others put in better offers. No idea who the others were or the players involved, even if it were true.
Woods seemed a very high risk signing, given his history of injury and Bradford fans were doubtful we'd see much of him. Potter, by contrast, was someone who'd had one really bad injury, but Rotherham supporters wouldn't have been surprised to see him get another deal there on previous performances and the risk was much less.
On left-back cover, it was clear from remarks made that we were interested in Clarke coming back. Whether Fleetwood wouldn't loan him to a L1 rival or bridges had been burnt with the manner of his departure, or whether Eddie thought guaranteed first team football with Macc was best, I doubt we'll ever know. I'm unsure how much we'll see of Woods this season, so unless Spellman is deemed ready, if something happens to Rides, then most likely Monthe will be deployed at the back. Though he's a much better central defender.