Express & Star

Leigh Pomlett: Walsall have the funds to compete

Walsall chairman Leigh Pomlett insists the club has a 'competitive' top 10 budget in League Two.

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The Saddlers will be hoping for a much better 2021/22 campaign after two poor seasons in the fourth tier.

They began their summer rebuild last Friday with the free capture of striker Conor Wilkinson – an ambitious move that caught the eye of supporters. They then followed it up with two more impressive signings, as Joss Labadie and Manny Monthe arrived at the Banks's Stadium.

Last season Pomlett revealed the playing budget was top 10 in the league and he insists it is still around that mark – but is adamant that the budget is only one 'element' of a wider picture.

When asked if the budget will still be top 10 this season, Pomlett said: "It is. There are funds available and we have a competitive budget for this year.

"But the team that got promoted in the play-offs (Morecambe) didn't and yet they got promoted.

"It's about the whole infrastructure, the quality of the management team, the recruitment process – a whole myriad of things, one of which is the playing budget.

"The playing budget will be fine, we cannot use that as an excuse for failure.

"We just spend a considerable sum of money at the training ground because we have a drainage problem there, that's of significant value.

"That's part of the whole playing budget at the football club, it's just not going into a player's bank, but it's helping them be successful.

"It's not just about the playing budget, we get fixated by that. It's just one of the elements."