Blackpool boss Neil Critchley has admitted the transfer market is more competitive this summer due to some of the teams entering League One.

Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United were all relegated from the Championship last season, and have already completed some big deals in a bid to make an instant return to England’s second tier.

Meanwhile, some of the teams coming up from League Two are also tipped to have big seasons, and have their own spending power.

The Seasiders have added five new players to their squad so far this summer, with Jordan Rhodes, Ashley Fletcher and Lee Evans all joining as free agents, while Zac Ashworth and Hayden Coulson were both signed for undisclosed fees from West Brom and Middlesbrough respectively.

Critchley states Blackpool know the challenge they face to sign the division’s best players, but remains confident in the work they can do.

“Whenever you make a signing you want them to add to the quality you’ve got, and that’s not always straightforward,” he said.

“We want to be a team pushing at the top end of this league, and when you look at the market with what other clubs can offer players, then that can be hard to compete against. We have to try to do it our way and believe in what we do.

“We’re confident in the work we do on and off the pitch to help us be in a good place when the window closes.

“We know we’re in a competitive division, in a competitive market, you can see some of the players signed by the clubs we’re competing with, so we know what we’re up against.

“You’ve only got to look at some of the players signed by certain clubs and some of the fees that have been paid.

“There’s going to be some big budgets in this league this year, but that’s not to say we can’t be successful in a different way. We want to fight at the top end of the league.”