MANAGER Russell Martin insists he is happy with the summer transfer business “within the constraints we had” after Saints CEO Phil Parsons opened up on club finances.
Eight new players were added by football director Jason Wilcox during the window, which ended nearly exactly one month ago.
With two free transfers and four loan acquisitions, only Ross Stewart of Sunderland and Shea Charles of Manchester City were brought in for an instant fee.
In a recent interview with the Daily Echo last week, CEO Parsons disclosed that financial fair play limitations had caused the club to manage its spending.
Martin praised the club’s administrators for not “gambling” with the club’s future after his team defeated Leeds United 3-1 on Saturday to snap a four-match losing streak.
When asked by the Daily Echo if he was happy with his signings, Martin responded, “I think so, under the limits we had. When they come down, several teams bet, and you might get lucky.
If you don’t, it could cause a lot of issues in the future. I absolutely agree with the owners’ choice to refrain from gambling with the team.
“That’s where you need to strike a balance between the long-term and the short-term, but I believe the business we’ve done with what we had has been terrific.
The ownership was completely upfront with us, and as time went on, it became more and more obvious what we would have to work with.
“We were paying a little bit for doing a lot late, and I think they understand that as well,” Martin continued. It’s not a criticism of anyone, just a statement of what actually happened.
“You anticipated certain players would leave, but I believe a few did so for reasons you probably didn’t anticipate, and you never know how much money would be coming in for specific individuals.
“It was a really challenging period for the club, and hopefully the greatest challenging period we will have to suffer. It’s time to bring everyone up to speed right now.
We actually haven’t spent that much time on the practice field since we’ve gathered everyone. The first game after the window was against Sunderland, and it was a complete disaster.
“This week has been good since we were able to gather everyone together and discuss what is needed to get through this time. After this time, we’ll be lot stronger.
