Hartlepool United are in better shape after the transfer window but will Keith Curle consider the free agent market?

Keith Curle has acknowledged his side are better placed then they were heading into the transfer window but has not closed off the possibility of exploring the free agent market now the window is shut.

Curle brought in 11 new players during the month of January but has conceded he would have liked one or two further additions with a number of players declining moves to the Suit Direct Stadium.

Pools were believed to be close to agreeing a deal for Bradford City's Timi Odusina for a return before the player decided against the move, whilst another deadline day deal was ‘hijacked’ in the final hours of the day.

“A lot of them had been agreed in principle beforehand. The paperwork had been signed but somebody saying ‘yes,’ until you see the ink on the paper and it’s dry, you don’t accept it as a given,” said Curle.

“We had one player where everything was agreed, agreed with the club, agreed with the agent, agreed with the player.

“He set off to come to the football club to sign and then 10 minutes later you find out that deal has been hijacked by somebody else that found out about it and made him a different offer and then you have to start the process again.

“You’re finding out what the offer was that’s been made by the next club and improving that offer, then you have to wait and then it’s still a ‘no.’ So there’s lots of twists and turns.”

Curle’s frustrations in the market have led to the Hartlepool boss already acknowledging there is still the opportunity to bring in players, if necessary, from the free agent market with some players being unsuccessful in joining clubs in January.

“We’re better now than when we were going into the window,” said Curle.

“What I would say is the window is closed but there’s still availability of players out there that have taken the option to cancel their contracts, if they’ve not got the move they wanted, or they’re out of contract in the January window so they’re still available.”