McKenna: We're Hopeful We Can Add to the Squad By Next Week Friday, 26th Jan 2024 15:55 Boss Kieran McKenna says there’s nothing new to report on incoming transfers and has admitted some frustration with the limitations Financial Fair Play rules place the Blues under as they seek to strengthen their squad during the January window. Town are known to want two strikers before the window closes with another bid for Blackburn’s Sam Gallagher having been turned down with Rovers appearing reluctant to allow the 28-year-old to depart as it would leave them short of attackers and with few alternatives available, as the Blues have discovered. In addition, Town have made an offer of just above £1 million to AFC Wimbledon for Iraqi international Ali Al-Hamadi but with the Wombles believed to want around double that figure with Wycombe Wanderers, from whom he joined the Dons on a free transfer a year ago, due 25 per cent of the fee. The Blues are also looking for a left-back with Sheffield Wednesday’s Marvin Johnson and former Middlesbrough man Marc Bola, who is currently with Turkish Süper Lig side Samsunspor, players in whom Town have shown an interest. Quizzed on current progress with the window closing at 11pm a week on Thursday, McKenna said: “There's certainly nothing to report as of yet. The club are continuing to work hard within the means that we have, but there's nothing that's going to be done by tomorrow that's for sure. “We're still hopeful that we can add to the squad by next week and we feel like we need to. I know that the club will do everything they can to make that happen.” Asked whether there is something holding up deals being done, he added: “There's not necessarily a problem. Of course, the problem for us is we've lost three strikers in this window. “Not necessarily all a problem in that instance but an obvious one for us is losing George [Hirst] heightens the need in a certain position. “But other than that, the January window is traditionally not an easy one as most of the players who would be attractive to us are either important at their current clubs or attractive to a lot of other clubs as well. “We have limitations within Financial Fair Play that reduce the market that we can attract players from and that's a normal process. “You always want to do things as early as you can in each transfer window, especially in January because the season has started and we're pleased that we managed to get Jeremy [Sarmiento] and Lewis [Travis] early in the window and they've already had an impact on the team. “Other than that, in the other positions that we want to recruit in we're going to have to work very hard up until the last day of the window.” McKenna was asked whether it was a case of waiting for other clubs to bring in players so those he is targeting are allowed to move on. “There are honestly so many different factors and it wouldn't be right to explain each individual situation,” he said. “But players who you've been interested in over the course of months can get injured at the end of December and then your list changes, other clubs want to keep their players or bring in players before they let players go. “So there's a whole host of different factors that you're not in control of in this transfer window and that's the case for every club. “We have to do everything that we can within our means and that's all you can do, and you hope that within that we can attract some players who can help us.” Regarding the decision to allow striker Freddie Ladapo to join Charlton despite not having a replacement lined-up, he added: “Of course it was a consideration and there's a balance to be made on decisions like that. “Freddie's been an important member of the squad over the last 18 months and was still playing minutes on a weekly basis. “In terms of the decision to let him go to Charlton for the second half of the season, we all felt it was important that he played and started games now. “You don't want to go too long in your career without doing that and it's probably 12 months where he hasn't started many games. “Beyond that, we felt like it was the right thing to do and a necessity for us really to free up the numerical space in the squad. “From a financial point of view to be able to bring in players to help the squad it was important to recoup some of that as well. “It was a good offer from Charlton for the club and from Freddie's point of view, and it was a decision to make to let him move on and hopefully that will help us be successful in the next week of the window.” Asked how he enjoys the player trading element of his job, he added: “I think my deepest passion is for coaching and improving players. My focus will always be with the players who are in the building and trying to improve and get the best out of them. “But part of trying to develop the football club, whether that's as a manager or in other roles, is you need to continually analyse the squad and look to improve the squad where possible. “We're doing that and we've made some good decisions in that regard over the last two years. “Not every move that you make is going to work out but you want to have a process that you follow to, you want to make decisions in a rational way, you want to make decisions both to have a short-term impact but also decisions that will help and protect the club in the longer term. “That's how we'll continue to work and there's full agreement on that from all stakeholders within the football club and full understanding of where we're at and what we can and cannot do. “We're working together on it in a good way and we're again still hopeful that we'll be able to add to the squad in the way that we want to.” The Championship’s Financial Fair Play Profitability and Sustainability Rules dictate that clubs can lose up to £39 million over a rolling three-year period or an average of £13 million a season. That limits the scope that clubs have in the transfer market, especially those, such as Town, without Premier League parachute payments. Quizzed on that situation, McKenna said: “Of course there's a little bit of frustration there, but there's lots of managers at different clubs who [can attest] to that and it's not just in the Championship as you're seeing it in leagues above at the moment. “But it's certainly relevant to our position and is a really important factor in how you navigate the Championship. “There are very real limitations on what you can spend and the losses that you can make in any year which make it a real challenge, certainly for a club in our position, to be as aggressive in the market as you would like to be and you’re competing against clubs who come into the season with squads in a different perspective really and then with the addition of [parachute] payments on top of that as well. It makes it a challenge. “It is what it is. Everyone is aware of the rules. I think at some point in time they will change if I’m honest, that’s my perspective on it, I think they will be adjusted. “It’s the reality that we’re operating in. Within the club, there’s a good understanding, there’s a shared acceptance that that’s the position that we’re in and our focus is just making the very, very best of what we can do.”
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