Defenders

I'll be open and honest with the Hampton fans. Our defence is currently our weak link. More defensive signings are expected in the near future; right now, I had to make do with what was available on the open market.

That's not to discredit any of the players that I did sign. There may not be a lot of big-name defenders in our squad (yet), but the bunch I gathered are a talented lot. In Spain's Raul Bravo and Scotland's Paul Ritchie, we have a pair of international central defensive lynchpins. We also took a punt on 25-year-old non-leaguer Gary Cochrane, who is potentially a strong leader, even if his technical attributes aren't the greatest.

The rest of the defence is aged 21 or under. One lad who is close to home is Danny Blanchett, who used to play his youth football just two miles up the road in Peterborough. We also have Joe Devera - named Barnet's Player of the Year last season - and Charlton youth prodigy Sam Long, who is currently a little rough around the edges but could well develop into a future international star.

Summary
Joe Devera (£35,000) D RC
Sam Long (£9,000) D RL
Raul Bravo (£60,000) D LC
Danny Blanchett (£8,000) WB L
Gary Cochrane (£3,500) D C
Paul Ritchie (£2,500) D C
Total acquisition fee for defenders: £118,000