Steve Burr has revealed Chester FC missed out on Gateshead's Danny Wright, who joined Kidderminster Harriers on Tuesday.
Burr has been eager to add more size and strength to his forward line to provide competition for Craig Hobson and confirmed he made an approach for ex-Wrexham frontman Wright. Burr said he had not been in a position to meet the 30-year-old's demands and admitted his surprise when Wright moved to Kidderminster, where manager Gary Whild had seen his budget reduced.
"I enquired about Danny myself so I know the type of figures they were looking at so I was quite surprised at that," said Burr.
"Gary keeps telling me he's got no money there but that was one we missed out on.
"We're still a club where the Michael Gashs and Danny Wrights are out of our reach at the minute but the lads we have got in come within our structure and with a hunger to do well.
"For us at the minute, it's still about bringing in young lads from Football League clubs if we can or bringing the ones like George Thomson and Kane Richards through from lower down and we'll work with them and try and improve them.
"Hopefully, in seasons to come we can get stronger where we can maybe go an afford the Michael Gashs and the Danny Wrights of this world."
Having settled Danny Harrison's contract this week, Burr still has some funds available to strengthen but doesn't think there will be further additions in the immediate future. Instead, the manager plans on moving a couple of players out on short-term arrangements with 19-year-old forward Tom Peers heading to Marine and an unnamed club making an approach for left winger Peter Winn.
"There's still scope for a bit more but I think it's important now that we're going to try and trim the squad back a little bit," said Burr.
"We've been really pleased with Tom and his progress but we just still feel, myself and Jon McCarthy, that's at the minute he's not the threat we'd like him to be on a regular basis and as a striker we'd like to him get in amongst the goals.
"He's a young lad who we've been very pleased with but the idea is to get him out, get some games under his belt, let him show us what he can do lower down and bag some goals.
"There's been an enquiry about Peter Winn. Peter's coming back from an injury, he's had a stop-start season but I think it would do him good if he went out and got a few games for a month and it would only be a month. Peter's having a think about and he's going to get back to me."
