Alex Sanderson pinpoints Sale's latest target but admits to roadblocks

Alex Sanderson admits that he has found it hard to spend the big pot of money at his disposal to improve his Sale Sharks squad for next season.

The Sharks have announced the signings of Welsh internationals Tomas Francis and Nicky Smith, South African prop Cebo Dlamini, Fijians Elia Canakaivata and Ponipate Loganimasi, Joe Marchant and Alex Lozowski.

Another Welsh international, Christ Tshiunza, is arriving with an unveiling after the Sharks have travelled to his current club, Exeter Chiefs, this weekend, and Sanderson is also closing in on a scrum-half.

It has been well documented that unsuccessful bids were made earlier in the season to sign George Martin, Alex Mitchell, Chandler Cunningham-South, and Emeka Ilione, forcing him to change direction and switch targets.

“I’ve reflected on this, and you know, it’s been really hard. I spoke to Mark McCall two months ago, and he admitted to me that this was probably the hardest season by way of recruitment. So, I’m not alone.

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“We’ve got some really good players and some players that initially weren’t the big kind of name players that get bandied around all.

“But some sleeping giants are there in terms of game breakers and names that you haven’t seen in the PREM, as you know. So, I’m looking forward to bringing them over to Manchester,” he told RugbyPass.

Sanderson believes several factors have made it such a difficult market this year, including players’ reluctance to move ahead of the World Cup next year and Newcastle Red Bulls’ newfound wealth and says he has learnt lessons.

“Players want to be in the frame for that (World Cup), so are not wanting to move. Newcastle are coming in with a stack of money and approaching everyone, which bumps up salaries, and R360 had its influence.

“It’s proven a bit more difficult to get people away from the clubs that they have been at for a while than I thought it would be.

“Like say, at Northampton, where at one point they were all going, but then they all stayed. So, it was great for Northampton, and they’ve kept that core there.

“But instances like that, which seemed juicy in September, come to nothing by November. There are better ways to do it and to do it a little bit differently, but hey, ho. We’ve got a great team,” he added.