How much will Hartlepool United have to spend this summer? Craig Hignett reveals size of his transfer pot

Hartlepool United’s budget for next season will be “similar” to this campaign - but Craig Hignett will have more freedom to spend it how he likes.
Hartlepool Manager Craig Hignett during the Vanarama National League match between AFC Fylde and Hartlepool United at Mill Farm, Fylde on Tuesday 12th March 2019. (Credit: Mark Fletcher | Shutter Press) ©Shutter Press Tel: +44 7752 571576 e-mail: mark@shutterpress.co.uk Address: 1 Victoria Grove, Stockton on Tees, TS19 7ELHartlepool Manager Craig Hignett during the Vanarama National League match between AFC Fylde and Hartlepool United at Mill Farm, Fylde on Tuesday 12th March 2019. (Credit: Mark Fletcher | Shutter Press) ©Shutter Press Tel: +44 7752 571576 e-mail: mark@shutterpress.co.uk Address: 1 Victoria Grove, Stockton on Tees, TS19 7EL
Hartlepool Manager Craig Hignett during the Vanarama National League match between AFC Fylde and Hartlepool United at Mill Farm, Fylde on Tuesday 12th March 2019. (Credit: Mark Fletcher | Shutter Press) ©Shutter Press Tel: +44 7752 571576 e-mail: [email protected] Address: 1 Victoria Grove, Stockton on Tees, TS19 7EL

Last summer Matthew Bates’ budget was eaten up largely by players heading into the second year of lucrative contracts dished out under the guidance of Pam Duxbury and Craig Harrison.

Pools then spent much of the first part of the season trying to offload players, such as Louis Laing and Jake Cassidy, in order to free up wriggle room.

Coverage of Eastleigh v Hartlepool United sponsored by Flybe.Coverage of Eastleigh v Hartlepool United sponsored by Flybe.
Coverage of Eastleigh v Hartlepool United sponsored by Flybe.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This time around, though, Hignett has no such concerns with deals, given that the majority of Pools’ players, bar the kids, are out-of-contract in the summer.

“The budget I’ll have next year will be similar to this year,” said Hignett.

“There will be less of the add ons with it. That means I can concentrate more on getting players in with the cash available rather than national insurance or paying an extra physio.”

On the budget, he continued: “It’s hard to judge against that because within that we have the legacy things that come into it so I think we’ll have similar but it’ll be spent better so we can do more with it because it was tied up in different things that were not our doing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Contracts were an issue yeah, but with other stuff as well but this time we’ll have none of that sometimes people club, you can club what you want into a budget, you can count wages, you can count national insurance, you can count whatever it all depends you work your budget out.”