Saddlers must sell to buy players

Walsall have no cash for transfers and must sell to add to their squad in the window with manager Chris Hutchings branding the market "crazy."

The Saddlers' budget is stretched to the limit and, with no moves imminent, boss Hutchings reveals money for new faces must be raised by selling.

He said: "There isn't money to go 'bang, here you go'. If anything happens we need to get out to get in and you don't want to sell your best players, not that there's any interest in them at this moment.

"But your squad players and I don't mean this disrespectfully, who is going to come in for them?

"It's a circle you're trying to juggle. We want better than what we have but they would cost more money than the player going out."

The Saddlers' only deal this month is Clayton McDonald's free transfer from Manchester City and Hutchings reckons lower league clubs are unable to gamble on players because of their financial problems.

He said: "The market has gone crazy. The days have gone when you can have a little gamble, they've gone. Non-league clubs are paying big wages as well so players aren't going to come for just a little bit, they'll want X,Y and Z.

"You think 'hold on a minute, you're coming to Walsall to have a chance to play in the first team and kick on, because you're not going to come for the money'."

Hutchings wants to keep his star men, but believes Premier League clubs cherry pick the best lower league talent on the cheap.

He said: "In the Premier League if they are looking for lower league players and think they've got a chance they'll be going there as squad players, even then they'll want them for nothing.

"They think 'I'm not going to invest £1million in someone who is just going to be a squad player.' They'll want someone who will come in and score a few goals, run the show from midfield or stop the opposition's strikers."