Paul Hartley issues honest Hartlepool United transfer update | OneFootball

Paul Hartley was left feeling disappointed having failed to secure a number of Hartlepool United’s targets before the window closed last week.

They secured a loan deal for Barnsley’s Clarke Oduor late in the window but Hartley had expected more, especially given the striker crisis at the club with Josh Umerah and Mikael Ndjoli succumbing to injury recently.

Hartlepool currently sit 23rd in the league with no win from their opening seven games, and reinforcements are much needed.

However, Hartlepool remain active in the free agent market, and Hartley hopes to bolster his striking options soon. Speaking in The Hartlepool Mail, he said: “At the top end of the pitch we still feel as though we’re a little bit short but it’s not easy to try and get players in.

“We’re still working away to try and get one or two players.”

He hastened to add that they won’t just sign anyone, though. He said: “There’s not a lot of players available either so then do you just take a player for the sake of it? No, you don’t. They’ve got to be the right one. But we’ve got a list of players, we’ll just have to look through it.”

Hartlepool fans will feel relieved to know he and his team are working hard. He spoke of the need to fit the ethos and style of play, as well as being an improvement in quality, he added: “Can they make you better? Can they fit into the way you want to play? It just takes somebody to drop in and hopefully you get a good one.”

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NOLBERTO SOLANO

PERU MEXICO

The Verdict

Hartlepool already look like a side who are destined for a relegation battle, and the necessity of signing ‘one or two more’ cannot be overstated enough.

The squad, on paper, is one of the weaker in the division, and Hartley himself is finding his first job in English league football a tough one already.

Safety is the goal this season. Especially when considering his inexperience of the level, alongside the quality of the side.

Signs in the market are positive, though, despite the window closing. Hartley will be hoping for progress on that front over the coming week.