Deadline day clash 'not great' as Hogg confirms players could still leave Cobblers
Chris Hogg has not ruled out the possibility of players leaving Cobblers between now and the end of the transfer window - but the club are yet to receive any concrete interest.
Including loans, 12 players have left Sixfields since the end of last season. Most were released while Cameron McGeehan and Nesta Guinness-Walker turned down new deals and Dean Campbell left after Notts County matched the £200k release clause in his contract.
Ten players have come through the gates so far and Hogg remains keen to strengthen further before next week’s deadline, and there could also be movement the other way.
“There’s not been any interest that I’m aware of but conversations are happening all the time,” said Hogg. “I’ll keep that in-house in terms of the individuals I’ve spoken to. Things are always moving in the last couple of days in the window, one way or the other, so we’ll see.”
Should no players depart, Hogg could be left with a somewhat bloated squad at the end of the window, especially if there are more incomings. EFL clubs are permitted to name a maximum of 22 outfield players over the age of 21 in their squads, meaning Cobblers have two spots available.
“Budgets dictate that,” Hogg added. “We can only do what we can do within the limitations of what we have as a club. There’s lots of things that are happening in the background but I don’t know where that sits so, for me, I’m happy with the budget we’ve been working to and what we’ve done so far and it’s just about what we can do in the last few days.”
Cobblers will be in League Two action on deadline day when they host Crawley Town, with kick-off just three hours before the window shuts.
“It’s not great to be honest and I know a lot of clubs and managers feel the same,” admitted Hogg. “I don’t like it but you can’t control it. We’re hoping for a busy end to the transfer window but we’ll have to see how it pans out and whether stuff happens on that day. Who knows what will happen.”