Day 87

I welcomed four new trialists to the club today. South African full-back Gabriel Mofokeng is a cut above most of the players in the squad, but I'll need to watch him play before I can gauge whether he'd fit in. The fact that he can play on either side or defence or in a defensive midfield role makes him a prime candidate for signing.

Fatih Akyel, a former Turkish international, boasts a huge amount of experience, but he may be a bit too far gone to make the grade even at this low level. Anyone who's played 64 times for his country (earning a third-place World Cup medal, no less) and four Turkish Premier Division winners medals merits the benefit of the doubt, however.

Iranian youngster Porya Ahmadi is brimming with talent, but he doesn't appear ready for first-team football, which will hurt his chances of a contract with us—especially given our plethora of capable young forwards. I don't know how he'd go with securing a work permit, either, since he has just three Under 21 international caps.

Veteran Mozambican striker Tô still has some magic left in him, it appears. I'm not sure what the situation would be with getting him a work permit, but if he performs just once in a friendly match during this four-week trial I'll offer him a deal.

Of course, I may not be able to wrangle any of them into my squad. We're still slightly over the wage budget, and I've already voiced my concerns about the poor state of club finances.