Western Morning News (Saturday)
City ‘over budget’ so won’t be able to sign free agents
EXETER City manager Matt Taylor says he is already over budget and that he will not have the opportunity to reinforce his small squad amid mounting injuries at St James Park.
The Grecians go into today’s clash with Burton Albion without central defenders Sam Stubbs (knee) and Cheick Diabate (broken foot) while Jonathan Grounds faces a late fitness test after picking up an injury late on in Tuesday’s 3-2 defeat at Shrewsbury Town.
With Tim Dieng also facing 6-8 weeks out after picking up a hamstring injury, the Grecians are certainly light on numbers, but Taylor says a move into the free agent market is not an option and that he will have to make do with what he has.
“I wish!” Taylor said, when asked if bringing players to the club was an option. “We are over budget already.
“We have to be respectful that this is a small squad, a thin squad and it has maxed out anything that we have financially. I can’t keep going over budget, the club will be in a difficult position if I do that and I have to be respectful in terms of that.
“We are, unfortunately, not in a position to do that. We are in a position where we have to work within a certain remit and we try to do that as well as we possibly can. It has left us with a small squad, but that’s what it needs to be to compete with the quality needed for League One.”
Alfie Pond’s decision to leave St James Park and sign for Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers on transfer deadline day has not helped either. The young defender would likely be given his opportunity given City’s injury crisis, although he had been sent out on loan to Yeovil Town to gain some valuable experience, prior to his £500,000 move to Wolves.
“It might not have happened anyway because he was at Yeovil and he needed to go through that progression at National League level before being exposed to League One, but it does highlight that,” Taylor added.
“Players move on for varying reasons and Alfie moved on for the opportunity to join a Premier League club and what that brings in terms of the financial benefits, facilities and opportunities in front of him, but he wasn’t far away from our first team as well.
“At some stage, he would have made the breakthrough to first team football but, unfortunately, our fans and myself didn’t get the opportunity to witness that, he moved on at what he felt was the right time for himself, his family and the buying club as well.
“That’s looking a bit into the past and it wouldn’t be so bad if Alex Hartridge was fully fit! We hope he will be fully fit this weekend and then the back three, or the back group, looks stronger with Alex in it - and with his mobility as well.
“Groundsy was limping at the end on Tuesday night, so we will assess him, but Josh Key and Harry Kite can deputise in those positions as well and the option is always there to change shape. It’s always something we think about, but we don’t want to change too much too soon when the personnel are flipping around because of the injuries.”
The Grecians welcome Burton Albion to St James Park today. The Brewers, who recently sacked manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and replaced him with Dino Maamria, are bottom of League One and winless from their first eight games.