Keith Curle provides latest on Hartlepool United striker search

Curle was responding when asked to provide an update as to where the club is currently at with regards to the enquiries and bids lodged that had been suggested by chairman Raj Singh recently.

The Hartlepool chairman claimed, ahead of the 2-0 win over Rochdale, the club were in conversations with four strikers before advising supporters to remain patient over those deals.

“We have made enquiries and bids to clubs on four top strikers. Two from League One, and two from League Two are both in double figures with half of the season played,” said Singh.

“We are going to have to be patient and see what comes of these bids because despite what some of our fans think and believe, just throwing money at the problem does not automatically resolve everything.

“As the manager has mentioned in his interviews, we are not going to be some players’ first choice because of our league position but believe me when I say; we are very active in the transfer market and competing financially with all of the other clubs around us.”

And manager Curle added to that speculation when revealing to The Mail he was to hold talks with one of those strikers before then detailing how that meeting went following the defeat at Carlisle United.

“I’ve sold myself, the environment we want to work in, the culture we’re trying to create at the football club, where I saw him fitting in and his assets that I think he could bring to the squad,” Curle told The Mail.

“But there’s a price to pay and there’s competition.

“Sometimes when you’re in a position that it is a player who you need, you keep a plate spinning and open up lines of communication.”

And Curle provided something of an update on the situation following the 2-1 defeat to Colchester United.

He said: “It’s at the stage where we’re involved in a bidding war with clubs. It’s every clubs’ entitlement when they’ve got assets that they listen to all offers.

“We’ve been able to have permission to speak to one of the players, the other one we’ve still got to finalise that bidding war.”

Hartlepool had been in talks with Bristol Rovers forward Harvey Saunders before he opted, instead, for a move to Tranmere Rovers with Curle also confirming to The Mail the club are interested in Solihull Moors striker Andrew Dallas.

But with deals continuing to fall through, and with time running out in the window, supporters continue to grow frustrated.

“It’s my frustration as well because I’m trying to improve the squad,” said Curle.

“If you have a look at our team sheet today from the first game that I came in against Gillingham I think there’s three players in the starting line-up. So there have been changes and there still will be a continued search for improvement.

"We’re still in negotiations with four - in the latter stages of those negotiations. We’ve still got more avenues to explore because there are still players having conversations with football clubs being told their future doesn’t lie with their parent football club.”