Dunfermline manager Jim Jefferies has maintained that the club will not be held to ransom in relation to their star players, despite the club’s ongoing financial worries.
The Pars boss has revealed that at least two players attracted interest from unnamed parties looking to “take advantage” of the club’s situation before the transfer window closed last month.
And although no firm bids were lodged for his young stars, Jefferies was delighted to see the transfer window come and go with his squad largely intact after the Pars snubbed offers considered to be derisory.
“There were some tentative enquiries,” he told Courier Sport. There was nothing in writing, apart from one I think, and they were trying to take advantage of Dunfermline’s situation.
“I’m not going to blame them for that, but the answer was no. We’re not going to hold these laddies back if some big club comes calling but Dunfermline have got to get a fair share.
“We’re the ones who found them, we’re the ones that put them into the first team, and we’re quite happy to have the players trying to get us back up into the Championship.
“But when we heard what some of the clubs were talking about verbally, it just wasn’t going to happen.”
The club has kept tight-lipped on the names of the clubs and players involved, although Courier Sport understands defender Callum Morris and midfielder Josh Falkingham were two of the first team regulars who attracted interest.
The transfer window will now be closed until January 1, although Jefferies is of the opinion that the current transfer window set-up in Scotland should be scrapped to give clubs and players more time to make their desired moves.
The Pars boss, who is unable to sign players over the age of 21 because of the transfer embargo imposed on the club as a result of administration, reckons clubs should be free to sign players from the summer months right up until the end of the calendar year rather than having to wait until January if deals are not done by the time the first window closes at the end of August.
“Everything is too rushed in my opinion,” he explained.
“You’ve got teams coming back, playing pre-season games and there’s a lot of upheaval about who is going and who is staying.
“You either shut the window completely or keep it open until the end of December.
“People forget that sometimes movement around about clubs is a good thing, you need a change and maybe you look to bring fresh players in. Once you’ve got your team organised I don’t think there should be another transfer window that opens.
“I’d rather see them do it up to December, shut it and then you can’t do anything until the following season.
“That’s only a personal opinion because you’ll have players that are maybe out of the picture and they are having to stand about and wait until January before they move on and it’s not right.
“Clubs need money and nobody can buy anybody now until January.
“So if we have a player that’s going well, and that’s a big thing for a club like ourselves, and there’s a chance to bring in some money, that’s been denied because we have to wait until January.
“That’s just a personal opinion, but I’d like to see it that we could move players until the end of December.
“You should know your squad and get plenty time so you know what you’ve got, and everybody is in the same boat.”