David Downes the difficulties Blackpool face in the transfer market when looking to sign a certain profile of player.

Blackpool sporting director David Downes states the club is trying to be ‘ambitious’ with its work in the transfer market this summer.

The Seasiders have already made five signings in the past month, with both Michael Ihiekwe and George Honeyman arriving on the back of spending the last few seasons in the Championship.

Elsewhere, the additional arrivals of Fraser Horsfall, Niall Ennis and Franco Ravizzoli all know what it’s like to compete at the top end of the League One table.

A number of Blackpool fans would like to see the club add to their business so far with a statement signing - with many calling for Jerry Yates to return to the Fylde Coast.

The striker spent time at Bloomfield Road between 2020 and 2023, scoring 46 goals in 139 games, before departing for Swansea City.

After falling out of favour in South Wales, the 28-year-old spent last season on loan with Derby County - where he found the back of the net 10 times.

Downes admits the Seasiders would love to sign more players who could help them achieve success in the third tier, but that would require overcoming a number of hurdles.

“If you can sign centre forwards to get you out of the division then you’d do it all day long,” he said.

“With that, we’ve got to attract them to potentially play in the league below when they’re well paid in the division above.

“We’re trying to be ambitious and work in different areas. If an opportunity came up, me and the gaffer wouldn’t be shy about knocking on different people’s doors.

“They’re difficult to get over the line because of the difference between League One and Championship salaries. For a lot of players, as we found out with Sonny Carey, the draw of the Championship is huge, so convincing them to step down can be difficult as well. We’ve got to remain realistic.”

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