“If people are playing you off for extra money then they’re not the right ones for us!” Boston United won’t be held to ransom by targets, says Craig Elliott

The Pilgrims boss has made it clear that he wants to get his squad rebuilt and in place as quickly as possible.

Now the campaign has come to a close Elliott can begin meeting with the players he wants to bring to the Jakemans Stadium, adding he will not be fobbed off by agents.

“Hopefully we can get things done early and get the right players in,” Elliott told The Standard.

“If people are playing you off for extra money then they’re not the right ones for us.

“I’m sure all managers and chairmen are shocked at the escalation of agents’s involvement in this league, to be honest. It has become another Football League, in effect.

“The amount of players with agents becomes frustrating and it takes time. Obviously they try to play you off against other teams and that’s a big frustration.”

Elliott is determined to learn from previous mistakes and bad dealings.

One recent example was Mansfield Town striker Omari Sterling-James, who had agreed to join Boston on loan in January, only to switch to Brackley at the 11th hour, where he has struggled for game time.

“It was an agreed deal, he was going into the office to sign and next minute his agent phoned up and he came to Brackley,” Elliott added.

“He’s not played and the main thing coming from his agent was he wanted games of football.

“I could give you a list as long as my arm of the players I wanted to bring in and who have done well at other clubs. It’s part and parcel of it these days and I’m not the first Boston manager to have this.

“It’s a big summer. I’m not daft, I need to get it right. I’ve been talking to agents and making contact with people.

“Hopefully that’ll escalate now and we need to get these people tied up quickly. I don’t want it dragged out over the summer like it has done in the past.”