Crawley Town co-owner makes statement on outgoing players, budget and new faces

Reds fans – including our columnist and life-long supporter Steve Leake – have been calling for communication from WAGMI United following a number of high profile departures including top scorer Danilo Orsi and keeper Corey Addai.

And following reports Liam Kelly is in advanced talks with MK Dons today, fans were again asking for a statement from the owners – and the Crawley Observer and SussexWorld received a comment from Johnson tonight.

Johnson recently stood down as co-chairman of the club but is still part of the ownership group who took over in April 2022.

He told us: “I just want to make it clear to fans that there is a lot of hard work being done in the background to make sure we give Crawley Town Football Club the best chance to be competitive at the League 1 level within our revenue model.

"The club has received transfer fees for a few of the outgoing players, and I can assure you those funds are being put right back into the playing budget and coaching staff and we’re excited about the new faces we’ve brought to Crawley and those we are currently in discussions with.

"I’d also like to personally wish the outgoing players the best and thank them for their time and efforts at the club. A massive congratulations for what they have earned and were able to accomplish.”

Last summer, following a rollercoaster ride of a season where they just avoided relegation out of the Football League, some big names left the club and a host of relative unknowns came in.

This summer so far, as well as Orsi and Addai, Reds have parted ways with Adam Campbell (Hartlepool United), Will Wright (Swindon Town), Klaidi Lolos (Bolton) and Nick Tsaroulla (Notts County), with Laurence Maguire (MK Dons) not returning after his loan spell finished.

However Crawley have made six signings since the transfer window opened in Jeremy Kelly, Antony Papadopoulos, Charlie Barker, Josh Flint, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Scott Malone.

The maths model worked for WAGMI and the club in the summer of 2023 – and they appear to be replicating that blueprint again in 2024.

The question is, can they pull it off again?