Oxford United manager Karl Robinson has admitted he's a tired man as his side look set to get weaker, not stronger, in the final week of the pre-season break.
As reported by the Oxford Mail, Robinson is now resigned to losing attacker Gavin Whyte to Cardiff City, despite being in the market for additions to the squad. It's been a bleak summer for Robinson who has struggled to attract his key targets to the Kassam and is now facing the prospect of losing Whyte.
He confirmed the deal was lucrative for the U's as he looked to instil some confidence for the season ahead.
"We were talking £3.5-4m, but people don’t know what the sell-ons and add-ons are," he said of the fee.
“It’s not what you always read. There are other things attached to the deal which make it very lucrative and a clever one moving forward. It’s north of £2m with everything in, so that’s a phenomenal turnover.”
He admitted things were not looking good for Oxford with just five days to go before the season starts, but he appealed for calm going into the days ahead of their opening clash with Sunderland.
"We know we need a striker, I don’t need people telling me that. We know we need a centre back and two wingers. But I’m not Paul Daniels, where you can get a magic wand and suddenly there’s a player.
“I’m so tired right now because of the amount of work we’re putting in. But we have to stick together and find the right solution. It looks a little bit dark right now and we’re not shying away from it.”
Whyte only joined The U's from Irish side Crusaders last summer, scoring nine goals in his 47 outings for the club.
The Verdict
This is great business by Oxford. I've not seen enough from Gavin Whyte to suggest he's worth anywhere in the region of £2m, which is a big sum for Robinson to spend.
It might mean his business is concluded late, but this gives them a huge leg up in the transfer market. They can afford to go out and buy a striker now, or maybe elevate the wages on offer to a higher level.
Robinson never seems happy and it's a shame; Oxford have a decent squad and need one or two new faces to be a top ten prospect. I'm sure they'll be much stronger come the end of the window, so why is the manager not trying to build them up a little bit?
He baffles me at times.