Exeter City manager Matt Taylor says the money is there should he wish to pay a transfer fee and lure a player to St James Park.
The City chief is closing in on the free transfer signing of a goalkeeper, which he hopes to conclude soon, but he wants another more experienced glovesman, as well as a striker, before the League Two season starts on August 3.
The Grecians broke their transfer record in August 2017 to bring Jayden Stockley to the club from Aberdeen, while Taylor parted with a small amount in January when Stockley left for Preston North End and he brought in Ryan Bowman from Motherwell.
Matching the club-record fee for Stockley – suggested to be £100,000 – is unlikely, but if the right player became available, Taylor says he has no qualms in paying out to bring him to Devon.
Asked if there was money to pay a transfer fee, Taylor said: “There is, but we have to be honest in terms of how much that is.
“The club, traditionally, haven’t spent big money on big transfer fees; I think Jayden was our biggest one and he was a real investment.
“I spent a small amount in January on (Ryan) Bowman to get him out of his contract and realistically, it will be those sort of small figures to get players over the line, or out of their contracts, or out of clubs.
“Ryan was an example of someone who was tried and tested at this level, so at the moment, that’s where I am looking at investing my money; people who have been there and done it and are League Two-hardened, so to say. But that’s not to say there won’t be younger players with potential coming in off the back of the other ones.”
Taylor has made no secret of his desire to add firepower to Exeter’s attack and saw a move for a top scoring National League striker collapse when the player opted for a financially more lucrative move to another NL club instead.
However, Taylor very much knows what he’s looking for, although strikers of genuine quality are not only hard to find, but in high demand as well.
“It’s a difficult one because everyone wants a number nine who can sprint and run and hold it up and score 30 goals a season,” Taylor said. “They are not at this level and if they are at this level, then they get paid a hell of a lot more than what we can afford to pay them.
“We have to be open to different avenues in terms of a centre forward. I mentioned to you last week that we missed out on a leading goalscorer in the National League to another National League club, which tells you where the money is floating around in certain areas in football.
“We want the right profile. We want someone who will compliment the players we already have at the club. I have got some good attacking players and it is important to bring the right character and profile to compliment those players.
“The likes of Nicky Law, Lee Holmes, Randell Williams, Matt Jay, Lee Martin and Jake Taylor are all good creative players and Nicky had a good goal return last year. It’s all about putting the ball in the back of the net in and around the 18 yard box.
“Ryan did that in the last five or six games, but we need a consistent goal threat on that pitch at all times.
“We are looking at all areas and we have our targets. The market at the moment is that there are so few valuable centre forwards around that their value has gone sky high. That’s the crux of it and everyone wants the same sort of player.
We are pleased we have a good set of players to work with and we want to build on that.”
