Deal or no deal? Elgin City manager Gavin Price has 12 signed players for next season but can't make any more contract offers due to the effects of the Covid-19 shutdown on the club
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ELGIN City's summer budget will be the topic of conversation between manager Gavin Price and the club's board once Scottish football gets the go-ahead to resume.
The effect of Covid-19 on the Borough Briggs club's bank balance will become evident as the lockdown wears on, and Price is wary that he may not have much to spend on next season's team.
City have 12 players signed up for their next campaign, a piece of forward-thinking on their manager's behalf which has inadvertently put a strain on the club's finances.
All players are currently on the government's furlough pay scheme but that may end soon, and Elgin will then need to cover their full wage bill with vastly reduced revenue coming in the other direction.
In the meantime, Price is unable to negotiate new deals with out-of-contract squad members including last term's player of the year Stephen Bronsky, midfielder Russell Dingwall and winger Conor O'Keefe.
"They’ve already committed to 12 players which is a lot more than most clubs," said Price. "We just have to wait and see, it is certainly not the club’s fault and it’s not my fault that we find ourselves in this situation.
"We thought we were doing things correctly, which we were, to keep a balanced squad for next season and we were in a pretty strong position.
"Hopefully it doesn’t cost us and we have an idea of when we’re back, certainly before the furlough ends, that the club is not going to suffer because of it.
"While the furlough scheme is on, the intention is to keep the players that we’ve got but in terms of getting offers out there and signing new contracts we are having to wait just now.
"Obviously the board is going to have to work to try and work out how the budget is going to change or whatever, and we need to be realistic that things are going to change a wee bit in terms of that for next season."
On deals for next season are goalkeeper Tom McHale, defenders David Wilson, Euan Spark, Darryl McHardy, James McGowan and Matthew Cooper, midfielders Brian Cameron, Rory MacEwan and Jake Thomson, and front men Kane Hester and Smart Osadolor.
Stopper Angus Mailer was signed on a pre-contract deal from University of Stirling earlier this year and has become the first new face in the squad.
When a date is confirmed by the SPFL for lower league clubs to return to action, Price expects a stampede from clubs to secure free agent players.
He has his eye on some targets but is frustrated that he can't make a move due to the financial uncertainty.
"The club is in a difficult position like every club is so I think signing players out with the current squad is not possible at the moment," he said.
"That's why it has always been my intention to make as few changes as I could to the squad. It might be taken out of my hands yet, I don’t know.
"I would imagine there would be a big rush for players once we do get the go ahead to return to football.
"We know the positions we want to fill and some of the players we want. Our priority is always to look to north-based players but we will go with the model we had last year in terms of having some good quality from the south who might train down the road.
"It’s important that we’ve got that nucleus of players that will add to the team that are south-based. We just need to be mindful of what we do to make sure we get the numbers right."
Price lost Shane Sutherland to a Caley Thistle pre-contract while defender Andy McDonald has left to join St Cadoc's Youth Club, playing in the newly-founded West of Scotland Football League next term.
"Andy has not played since last year so he was one we were always going to have our doubts about," said Price.
"He’s a good player, one that I wanted at the club last year because of the style we wanted to play.
"I hope he gets going again with his career. It maybe stalled a bit through injury and it would maybe suit him better training regularly down the road and playing down there.
"I hope it goes well for him, I wish him well and hope he gets his fitness back."
