Finances Will Determine Contracts - Allardyce

Last updated : 27 January 2004 By Mark Heys
Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce says the state of the clubs finances will determine whether stars such as Jay-Jay Okocha remain at the Reebok Stadium next season.

Allardyce says he hopes to keep the majority of the players who will be out of contract in the summer but admits his hands could be tied financially which may mean him losing some of the players on Bosman transfers if he cannot persuade the board to loosen the ever tightening purse strings.

Okocha will be one of the high profile names that need to have his current contract negotiated whilst French star Youri Djorkaeff and rejuvenated striker Kevin Davies are others also needing to sit down and talk about their futures.

Bruno N'Gotty, Emerson Thome, Anthony Barness, Kevin Poole, Donovan Ricketts, Ibrahim Ba and Delroy Facey are the other names who will be on the list in the summer months if they cannot agree new terms with Wanderers in the summer.

"We will start with Jay-Jay but he may be too expensive. The board of directors will decide that not me. They are in charge of the spending"

"The way things are going every one of the squad have won themselves a new deal. Whether we can afford to pay them what they want is another matter. The board will give me what I can spend and I will tell them whether that is enough or not. Then we will go from there.

"It is not about one or two individuals it is about keeping them all to build a bigger and better side than this one. We need to have the strength in depth to enable the club to maintain their Premiership status for years to come."