Walsall chairman warns of spending cuts amid football regulator scrutiny

Walsall co-chairman Leigh Pomlett has told supporters the club must reduce costs as it prepares for independent financial regulation, despite describing its position as healthier than that of many rivals. BBC Sport reported his comments from a fans' forum at Bescot Stadium, where he said keeping the League Two club sustainable remained the priority.

Watch the highlights:

Speaking to BBC Radio WM, Pomlett said criticism of Walsall's transfer spending had to be weighed against the need to protect the club's finances. He argued that maintaining solvency was both the right approach and something the Independent Football Regulator would require. His warning concerned future spending discipline, rather than a newly announced player sale or specific transfer-budget reduction.

The BBC reported that Walsall would need significant spending cuts to qualify for an operating licence in future. He also predicted changes to how football's income is distributed, arguing that too much wealth remained at the top of the game.

The wider backdrop is the regulator's draft State of the Game report, published on 13 October. In its accompanying statement, the IFR said 94% of clubs were loss-making despite English football generating more than £9 billion. It identified rising debt and dependence on owners as threats to clubs' long-term stability, with spending driven partly by pressure to compete with rivals.

The regulator said more than a quarter of clubs could not survive beyond a month if their owners stopped funding them. It also found that 17 EFL and National League clubs had non-player costs greater than their revenues, meaning removing player pay alone would not eliminate their losses. Those findings concern football's wider financial position, not a separate finding that Walsall faces immediate insolvency.

The IFR's six-point response includes stronger cash holdings, contingency plans for the withdrawal of owner funding and changes to revenue distribution. It also calls for clubs to demonstrate how supporters' views inform decisions and how boardroom governance is improving. The report remains a draft: consultation is due to stay open until December, with the final version scheduled for early 2027.