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Cheltenham expect strikers Lloyd Owusu and Damian Spencer to depart on loan, and they may not be the last departures.
With the club virtually hoisting the white flag and accepting relegation the two powerful strikers, who have scored between them almost as many as the rest of their current squad, will depart to slash the wage bill after the whole squad was offered up for loan last week. Chairman Paul Baker told the Gloucestershire Echo:
"Martin [Allen] doesn't want to lose these players, but I have had to overrule him because we have to be a lean, mean machine that is fighting fit for next season. Administration is not a realistic threat, but things are still very tight. However, I am feeling very positive about next season and we will be in a better position than a lot of other clubs."
Fans have vented their fury at Allen in recent matches, blaming him for overspending in offloading unwanted players while signing far too many new faces. Since his arrival in mid-September he has signed sixteen players on loan and permanent contracts, but Baker defended him when speaking to BBC Radio:
"He's had some really unfair criticism at the moment that this is all down to him. Ultimately the board sanctions all the expenditure at this club, not the manager, and therefore it is the board that has got itself into this situation and not the manager."
Bookies have virtually written off Cheltenham's hopes of survival, with Bet365 offering 1/100 on them being relegated and 1/16 on a 24th placed finish for the club.
UPDATE: Lloyd Owusu has joined Brighton on loan until the end of the season.
