Oxford United boss Karl Robinson has hit out at ‘ludicrous’ League One spending levels while appearing to take a swipe at Ipswich Town.
The Kassam Stadium side have made the play-offs in each of the last two seasons, losing at the semi-final stage, and will be operating with a bigger transfer budget during the coming campaign in a division increasingly packed with big-hitters.
Robinson has described the recruitment market as ‘ludicrous’, pointing to a club ‘offering a defender £10,000 a week’, which appears to reference the Blues’ failed attempt to sign Luton Town captain Sonny Bradley.
“We’re going to spend more money next season,” Robinson told BBC Oxford.
“We have a transfer pot available which is brilliant, but we’re probably going to be in the same position in the (spending) league.
“We’re having to spend to stay anywhere near.
“There are teams in our league offering £10,000 a week for defenders and you’re thinking ‘this is ludicrous where this league is going’.
“We can’t get anywhere near this.”
The Blues are understood to have been keen to sign Bradley this summer before the 29-year-old ultimately signed a new deal with the Hatters.
Town have already completed the signing of Wes Burns from Fleetwood and Lee Evans from Wigan, while they are closing in on the signature of Rekeem Harper from West Brom.
The Blues, Sunderland and Wigan are all significant players in the League One transfer market following takeovers this summer, while Rotherham, Sheffield Wednesday and Wycombe have come down from the Championship.
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