Walsall face spending cuts as Pomlett warns over football finances

Walsall co-chairman Leigh Pomlett says the club will need to reduce spending to meet future licensing requirements under the Independent Football Regulator, despite believing its finances are healthier than those of many rivals. Speaking to BBC Radio WM at a fans' forum at Bescot Stadium, he put financial sustainability ahead of demands for additional player investment.

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BBC Sport reported that the regulator's first State of the Game report found 94% of clubs made losses during the 2025-26 season. The report examined English football from the Premier League through to the National League. Pomlett said he had read the full 260-page document and described the financial problems across the game as severe, rather than confined to a particular division.

For Walsall, the warning comes while the club are challenging for promotion from League Two. Pomlett said their position compared favourably with that of some other English Football League clubs, but that operating sustainably remained difficult. According to the BBC's account, significant spending cuts would still be needed for Walsall to qualify for an operating licence in future. No amount for those reductions was given in the report.

Pomlett also addressed criticism that the club lacked ambition when it did not sign particular players. His response was that protecting Walsall's long-term sustainability remained the priority. He argued that some clubs faced problems so deep that they would continue losing money even without paying player wages, illustrating his concern that spending pressures extended beyond recruitment decisions alone.

Among the figures he highlighted was a claim that 33 clubs lacked sufficient cash to last a month. He described losses in League One, League Two and the National League as substantial, while also pointing to the scale of deficits in the Premier League and Championship. These were warnings he raised in discussing the regulator's findings, not details of Walsall's own cash position.

Pomlett expects regulatory oversight to force changes in how clubs operate and said those making large recurring losses would not be able to continue unchanged. He characterised the coming transition as the industry's biggest since the Premier League was established, with sustainability central to the decisions facing Walsall and their rivals.