Crawley boss Sean O'Driscoll has told the local press the club's financial limitations are hampering his summer transfer activity.
The former Doncaster boss has missed out on several players as other teams are offering better wages. He told the Crawley Argus:
“People have got to realise that we might have been a big club in the Conference and League Two but now we are punching above our weight. There seems to be a perception that Crawley have got bundles of money
but that is not the case. We have got to work within the constraints
that have been outlined.
“It is no longer a case that we can pay a little bit more to attract
players. We have got to go for players that fit our budget. We are the smallest club in League One so we can only pay competitive
wages up to a point."
The Red Devils saw seven players depart in the summer, but have brought in just three with the club lumbering under an already hefty wage bill left by former boss Steve Evans. O'Driscoll is shopping in the bargain basement section: “Players everybody wants will go to the clubs with the most money so we have got to look for the ones we can develop.”
O'Driscoll's only option to extend his budget is to offload some of the 22 players currently contracted to the club, with Bulls target Richard Brodie nearest to the exit door.
Meanwhile, former Bulls striker Alan Connell is expected to remain a League One player despite being transfer listed by newly promoted Swindon. Stevenage and Scunthorpe are reported in the press to have shown interest in the 29 year old, with the Swindon press claiming the player may have to take a pay cut to join either side.