Walsall fought 'tooth and nail' to try and keep striker Danny Johnson
Walsall fans have been told the club fought 'tooth and nail' to retain Danny Johnson in the January transfer window.
Supporters at a Fans Focus meeting at Bescot Stadium were told the club had resisted the temptation to go beyond what was reasonable to keep the 15-goal striker who was recalled by parent club Mansfield Town.
Co chairman Leigh Pomlett said he and Benjamin Boycott had worked 'tirelessly' to negotiate with the East Midlands club until finally giving up halfway through the Salford away game on January 31 when it was clear they were going to have to pay a lot more than their ownj valuation.
Pomlett said: "We would have been paying for a player until the end of the season and the money Mansfield were asking was far too high, not just for us but for all other clubs because he didn't leave.
"Danny loved being at Walsall and Ben and I fought tooth and nail to keep him, we both had one-on-ones with him and there was no doubt where he wanted to be.
"Deadline day was a pressure cooker to try and keep him and negotiate with Mansfield and I never want to go through that again.
"But we resisted temptation to go beyond what was reasonable and whilst I agree he could have made a significant difference in terms of goal scoring, we weren't going to bust our budget for him."
Chief executive Stefan Gamble said keeping loan players was always a difficult balancing act.
He said: "I think all clubs depend on loan deals to an extent and we have done well out of it this season with Danny Johnson and Liam Bennett for two but there are always two parties in a negotiation.
"DJ leaving here was the last thing he wanted to do. We thought we were going to be able to get a deal done.
"We had to be realistic and have a plan B for if it didn't happen. We were able to bring in Matty (Stevens) on deadline day and that deal was going on during the Salford game.
"He and Jamille Matt scored nearly 50 goals between them at this level last season and through injury and getting back to match fitness we have yet to see what they can really do but we will.
"Liam (Bennett) leaving was unavoidable as Cambridge wanted him back.
"He probably played his best football here and was outstanding but that doesn't help when you are trying to keep the player."
