‘We’re not allowed to pay transfer fees’: Bowen gives update on embargo
READING FC head of football operations Mark Bowen have an update given the situation regarding the Royals’ transfer embargo.
For the second consecutive season, the Royals are under a transfer embargo which will limit them to only signing loans and free agents after they breached profit and sustainability rules.
“It’s not a secret in terms of the embargo and the different situations,” said Bowen.
“We’re not allowed to pay transfer fees, there’s no point in me trying to hide that.
“We can’t pay transfer fees, loan fees or compensation fees for young players.
“It narrows down our market of where we can entice players from.”
Despite the restrictions placed on the club, Bowen is confident that his staff can build a competitive squad ahead of the new Championship season.
He continued: “I genuinely think there is enough quality if you do your homework and have the right contacts, which I feel myself and the staff have now.
“It’s a long protracted situation.
“You speak to agents and players back and forth, and when it eventually comes to it when you have an agreement, it has to go off to the Football League and they will tell us whether they are happy with that.
“So it’s back and forth because we have to check with the EFL.
“They want to see that we are governing ourselves from a financial point of view with care.
“We’re limited in terms of what we can offer with wages and the structure.
“That’s why its not as simple as drafting a contract because there are different areas that our secretary has to be in contact with the league to follow those lines.
“There’s no definite plan for when we get certain players in.
If a player we like and we think we can take us forward, sometimes you have to do it there and then.
“In terms of numbers we know we have to address that and we are in the process of doing that.
“Paul (Ince) has made his feelings known of who he would like and we act on that.”
Bowen also reiterated that he expects that the club will not receive a further points deduction this season.
He said: “I’m confident because we have to play within the rules because we can’t do anything until it’s run by the Football League anyway so yes of course.
“We know where we are with having to clear things with them so I’m confident we can take those restrictions on board and go forward as a club.”