Walsall Football Club manager Dean Smith has hinted at the possibility of the Saddlers' signing players from abroad over the close season.During the 90's and early 2000's the Saddlers' signed a raft of overseas players, including, amongst others, Kyle Lightbourne, Pedro Matias, Roger Boli, Jean-François Péron, Jorge Leitão, and Zigor Aranalde who all went on to be fan-favourites. However the overseas influx has lessened over recent seasons due to a whole range of factors, including budget constraints and team performance, this could be about to change as Smith widens his search for new faces for the coming season.
Speaking to the Walsall Advertiser, Smith - who has just returned from a brief scouting trip to Spain - said: "I took in three or four Spanish Segunda B games, along with Richard O'Kelly and Dean Holden."
"It's too early to say if anything will come from it but we saw some decent players and the bottom has fallen out of the game in Spain financially so players are affordable.
"Apart from the big four sides – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia – there are a lot of clubs struggling.
"I don't think we will going back this summer because their season is almost over now but we've got an online scouting system where we can continue to look at those sort of players.
"It might be a possibility to bring some in but we still want to keep within our footballing philosophy so it would only be players who are the right fit."
Smith also spoke to the Express & Star about the trip, he Said: “We took in five or six games and it was a very worthwhile trip. There were a few players we spotted who we might look to bring over for pre-season.
“With the economic situation in Spain the past few years, funding has fallen through for a lot of clubs outside the top four or five. It means players are more affordable than they perhaps were in the past.
“There are some good players over there, some really talented players with strong technical ability.
“We took a few names from it. What it comes down to is spotting these gems and then finding out their characters, whether they will fit in with us.”
You can read the full Walsall Advertiser article HERE.
You can read the full Express & Star article HERE.