For Wakeman it was a summer of juggling as he tried to prepare for the new season, with little cash available for transfers, despite the money from TV rights, he knew that he was in a ‘sell to buy’ situation and he knew what his best chance to do so was. Writing in a local paper he revealed the news to the fans.
“I’m not in a position to spend large sums this summer so the fans shouldn’t be expecting a host of new names. If I do want to buy anyone then we’re going to have to sell first, rest assured Joel Porter is going nowhere, he’s signed a new deal, but there has been some speculation about Andy Appleby. Andy was brilliant last season and I’d love to keep him, but he feels he’s ready for bigger and better things and I’ve agreed to listen to offers if they’re good enough. Andy is a great talent in the making and I won’t be short-changed on any deal that might be thrashed out. There’s no denying that we will need to strengthen the squad for next season, and if that means loan signings then so be it but I’d prefer to have players who are committed to the badge by being Hartlepool players”
“I had been to see the boss” Appleby recalls, “and he was very good about it all, obviously the money was a big factor but I don’t think he’d have agreed if it hadn’t been for the season that Joel put in, the fact that he came off the transfer list to out-score me spoke volumes about his sheer will to win”. A deal was eventually thrashed out and Appleby left, giving Wakeman a huge boost to the coffers, “Wigan had gone up into the Premiership and they came in with a decent offer that worked well, from what I remember it was something like a million up front, another eight-hundred odd on instalments and a sell-on clause – not bad business for a team needing to keep their income ticking over.”
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