Newport County limited by budget - Graham Coughlan
- Published
Graham Coughlan was appointed Newport manager in October 2022
Newport boss Graham Coughlan says the club will be limited by their budget in terms of recruitment for next season.
The Exiles have confirmed their League Two status and will be competing with Welsh rivals Wrexham next season.
However, it has been a turbulent time off the field with sporting director Darren Kelly and chairman Gavin Foxall both departing in the past two months.
"Between myself and my assistants, we need to provide the club with leadership and nous," Couhglan said.
"Leading the football club in the background is something I have done before, I did it at Southend United for eight seasons.
"When I left Southend, they sank and hence the reason they are now in the National League.
"I have no problem with being the front person at the club.
"But it is a unique club and we will have to do things differently than other clubs do.
"We can't go out and spend. It is going to be a very hard challenge and we know that.
"We have to do things differently to the other 23 clubs in the division, we have to cut our cloth accordingly."
Newport will be joined in League Two next season by Wrexham, who have returned to the Football League after a 15-year hiatus.
Wrexham, backed by Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have a budget that far exceeds Newport's, with the National League champions losing almost £3m in the first year after the actors took charge of the club.
While Reynolds is currently trying to use social media to persuade Gareth Bale to come out of retirement, Coughlan says Newport will not be seeking such high-profile additions.
"I don't think we will be in a bidding war for any player, that's just where we are," Coughlan added.
"What I'd like to do and what I can do are probably two different things.
"Wrexham is a brilliant story, it's hard getting out of the National League and into the Football League.
"They have been out a long, long time. It's a great place to play with great tradition.
"Fair play to them and well done to them, it's a great story."