Bromley’s Head of Recruitment, Luke Clark feels that he conducted “never-ending” transfer business this summer.
A hectic summer transfer window saw 13 players leave Hayes Lane – including captain, Byron Webster who retired whilst Jude Arthurs and Idris Odutayo were amongst high-profile exits as they left for Crawley and Dundee respectively.
18 players however came in to replace the departing players as Bromley made the step up to League One, whilst several academy players signed professional contracts in a summer which Clark felt – in an interview with the club website – was a rollercoaster despite having identified signings during last season.
“18 players have come through the door this summer and we’ve had numerous Academy scholars signing professional contracts as well. It’s a lot of work and at times it felt like it was a never-ending transfer window. I think I was speaking with the club and players multiple times a day.
“But, you know, if you do the work beforehand and you prepare, you like to think that you’re in a good place and in our meeting with the Chairman last week, one thing that I did say was the majority of the players that we signed were players that have been identified through the season and players that we liked.”
Clark joined the club from Gateshead last summer after he initially started out as a voluntary scout for Boston United and iterated that preparation is key for transfer windows, alongside flexibility in case can’t get preferred players.
“You have to be versatile to move and manoeuvre because also you don’t always get the players you want. But I think preparation before is absolutely as important as the work you actually do during the window.
“If you become reactive, you can get led by agents, by other clubs, have an agenda to get players out, and that’s when you can get yourself into problems and the investment going into a player when you’re talking about a multi-year contract is significant.
“So it has to be right, because ultimately, you’re spending the Chairman and the club’s money. So, it has to be absolutely right.”
Clark also revealed that Bromley have attracted proper “real respect” from rival clubs for its humbleness and journey through non league football.
“There is a real respect for Bromley Football Club and there are growing relationships with clubs to bring players in, for example Andy Woodman has always utilised that loan market to propel the team forward.
“I think the club’s humble in many ways because of the journey it’s been on in recent years, coming from the National League and then quickly going from League Two to League One.
“But I think there has to be a confidence about the way we operate as well, and that has now come with respect from your big clubs and they’ve got time for us and they want to work with us and they see the benefit of players playing a under the manager.”
Transfer windows also brings various rules like a limit on loan signings and financial management to meet the EFL’s Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) and Sustainability and Systemic Resilience (SSR), which some unintentionally refer to as SMP – which stood for Salary Cost Management Protocols under old rules.
Clark consequently admitted that there are various factors to consider beyond just players and other clubs (unless player available on free transfer) when doing business, and a need to know the rules before investing time in signing a player.
“There’s a lot to consider. It’s not just what goes on with the player and the other club, if there is one. It’s also what can and can’t be done. And knowing that before a lot of time is invested into something.
“The Financial Fair Play or SMP as it’s now called, is absolutely paramount. You have to make sure that you’re within that, which is one thing that you also have to consider.
“Obviously you’ve got the number of loans you can do, the dynamics with the youth loans, the loans from Premier League clubs and, also a lot of people don’t realise is – because it’s built up into like an event, the transfer window, that players that are free agents, you can still sign outside them of the window, but then you have to consider your squad, size and you can only have so many signed on above a certain age and below it, and you have to have a club developed player.
“So there’s a lot of dynamics to that.
“And as it gets closer, especially when you’re doing a number of players we have to do this summer, you sort of having to balance everything from experience to youth to, to players that can hit the ground running.
“You have to get the balance between the, the old and the new, if you like. It’s not plain sailing”
With several former Premier League clubs competing in League One this season, Clark believes that the Ravens have a campaign to relish despite currently sitting 19th after seven games.
“There’s plenty to look forward to for the club and for the team this season. It’s it’s a monster of a league.
“I think it’s 12 ex Premier League clubs and so some great occasions. But you don’t want them to just be occasions. You want it to become normal. And I think we all have to respect the level and enjoy the level. But at the same time, we want we want to belong at this level.”
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