Swindon Town boss makes blunt transfer admission ahead of Sunderland clash

The Robins have been ravaged with injuries in the early weeks of the season, but Wellens has previously said reinforcements could only be signed if fringe players were able to depart the club.

A number of potential departures have been earmarked, with central defender Tom Broadbent one player free to leave the club.

But the Swindon boss had now conceded that it’s unlikely that any of his squad will move on before Friday’s 5pm deadline – meaning it is likely to be a quiet end to the window at the County Ground.

"There are a couple of players like Tom Broadbent, who we’ve not given a squad number too, that could leave but he’s not going to be fit for another three weeks,” explained Wellens, speaking to the Swindon Advertiser.

“Is he going to leave before Friday? I would probably say at this stage, it would be difficult because we’re expecting someone to take him injured.

“That’s not ideal, but every single team that gets promoted under normal circumstances that has a squad of 24 will have six or seven that you don’t think can take you forward.

“But we’ve found those players difficult to shift on because of the situation that we’re in.”

Meanwhile, Peterborough United president Darragh MacAnthony believes the EFL’s Project Big Picture is merely a ‘distraction’ that ‘won’t happen’.

The much-debated proposal was leaked on Sunday, but MacAnthony believes the likelihood it being implemented in the short-term is low.

He told talkSPORT: “It’s just a distraction and we just don’t need distractions. If it happened it wouldn’t happen quickly enough and it won’t happen anyway because of the voting structure within the Premier League.

“EFL clubs are in trouble. We need a £250m bailout and we need it yesterday. The gulf between the Premier League and the EFL has to be closed. I applaud Rick Parry (EFL chairman) and clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool for having the conversation, but it’s one for the future. We need a bailout and rescue package plan now to help clubs survive.”

A message from the Football Clubs Editor:

Hi, our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative coverage of YOUR club every single day, home and away, 365 days a year.

This depth of SAFC coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to from the football team at the Sunderland Echo, please consider taking out a subscription to our new discounted sports-only package.

You'll find all the details at sunderlandecho.com/subscriptions/sports.

Your support is much appreciated.

Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor