Boss is not fussed what other clubs are spending
GETTING most of the squad finalised early is one of the ways Burton Albion can aim to compete with League One’s big hitters, says manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
But the Brewers boss says he is unconcerned with how much one club or another is spending this summer.
Ipswich Town and Wigan Athletic, both with new owners, have been the most obvious big spenders so far.
Ipswich, who have seen strong starts fall away in both seasons since being relegated from the Championship, have secured highlyrated striker Joe Pigott after he left AFC Wimbledon and tempted former Brewer
Scott Fraser from MK Dons after only one season at Stadium MK. Wigan out-bid others for the signature of last season’s League One top scorer, Charlie Wyke, from Sunderland.
With Bolton Wanderers also back in the division with new owners, Sheffield Wednesday coming down from the Championship and Portsmouth and Sunderland again looking to challenge after campaigns which fell short last season, the division looks loaded with big clubs whose supporters – and probably their owners – expect a serious promotion challenge.
“It’s going to be tough but we can’t be concentrating on the others. We can’t control the others,” said Hasselbaink.
“They are going to splash whatever they can splash. But it’s not about us being jealous, about ‘oh, look at them.’
“It’s about ‘how can we be the strongest that we can be and the most competitive that we can be?’
“Yes, there are big hitters but they are still in the same league as us and they are in it for a reason.
“That was why we wanted to do quick business. We wanted to work with our players for as long as possible.
“We didn’t want to wait until the last week of August and still have to do five or six signings in a day.”
However, the manager reiterated that there are still signings to come.
“We are still not finished. We’re working hard in the background,” added Hasselbaink.
“The squad is not large enough yet. But we think there will be a couple going and a couple of loans (going out) as well as people coming in.”
The Brewers have used four trialists in their two pre-season friendlies so far. Three, understood to be Aaaron Holloway, Mohammed Maouche and Dylan Barkers, have played in both matches, while Rhys Bennett, mostly recently with Carlisle United, was identified as having played in defence in the second game, away to Bognor Regis Town.
Burton have played a third unofficial match, against Portsmouth, at St George’s Park but no details from that game have been released.