BARROW AFC boss Paul Cox insists the club will not be held to ransom over their summer transfer dealings.

Cox has overseen one signing in the close-season so far, with former Wrexham striker Jordan White joining on a one-year-deal.

With experienced defenders Danny Livesey and Shaun Beeley, winger Lindon Meikle, striker Inih Effiong and back-up keeper Andy Coughlin having been released, forward Ross Hannah returning to Chester City and highly-rated winger Jordan Williams set to move, Cox is prepared for a busy few months of comings and goings.

Cox wants to make significant additions to the squad as he tries to build a team capable of battling for promotion from the National League next season. But the AFC boss, who has showed himself to be a canny operator in the transfer market during his time at Holker Street, won’t be dragged into any ‘player auctions’.

“I think the market at the minute is very stale,” said Cox. “We've seen some movement early on, but I think the prices we have been quoted for players are absolutely silly.

“Our negotiations with Jordan went on for two or three weeks, and we won't be pulled into any kind of auction. Decisions will be made on players based on what they have been earning, where we see them next year and their value.

“Once again, due diligence has to be done, to make sure that we are not being pulled into an auction with lots of clubs – a few of whom are trying to jump in there and get all their business done in the first month of the season.

“Then, when all the retained lists from the Premier League come out, you usually see a trickle effect coming down, where more players become available, which creates more of a buyers' market and gives you more power.

“The closer we get to June 30, when contracts run out, the more players start thinking and having to cut their cloth accordingly.

“At the minute, the market is inflated, as we thought it would be. We've got our one target, who we were very keen on last season, and we have other targets in place, but they are at an early to mid-stage as of yet."

He added: “I'm not going to lie, we've missed out on one or two where I totally refused to go gung-ho and pay what I feel is silly money.

“At this stage, there is always a lot of representation, and it's natural for them to play one club off against another. We've been careful that we haven't been drawn into a position where we were paying over the odds for a player. We have to keep in mind not just the short-term, but the long-term goals.

“I think we need some experience, in terms of players who have maybe played at a higher level, but more importantly players who are experienced at this level of football. That's what I'm looking for in terms of taking us forward.

“We've got people like Joel Dixon and Andy Parry (both long-term injured) who are going to come back in pre-season.

“I would like a good nucleus of the season to be finalised by then, but I know from last season, one of our latest signings was Byron Harrison, and that was because initially these players come with a price-tag that scares people off.

“We were patient and we eventually got our target by doing the right things. Once again, we will do the right thing, not just in terms of next season, but for the long-term of the football club."