Alex Neil's press conference: What the Preston North End manager said about Championship spending and finances

With clubs facing the prospect of empty stadiums for another six months, the thinking is that some belt-tightening would be going on.

Neil, however, thinks that has not generally been the case in the Championship.

PNE and Bournemouth are the only two clubs in the division not to have been active in the transfer market during this window - Neil saying he was 'hopeful' that would change before the deadline next month.

At the press conference on Thursday morning to look ahead to North End's clash with Stoke on Saturday, Neil was asked whether grounds staying shut would have have an affect on the market.

Neil said: "Naturally you would think yes but if you look at the amount of activity in the market at the moment I'm not so sure.

"I'm looking at teams like Nottingham Forest, they have just signed Harry Arter, Jack Colback, Lyle Taylor.

"There are other teams in our league who have spent money and signed players, albeit we are in the middle of a pandemic and money is tight.

"It doesn't seem to be affecting a lot of clubs.

"I was hearing that Middlesbrough were trying to dial things back and not spend a lot of money. They have just bought Chuba Akpom for £2.5m.

"That doesn't look like they are dialling back.

"Derby were meant to be dialling back, they have just signed Jordan Ibe and a Polish international winger after we beat them in the cup.

"Everyone is talking that talk but their actions are not backing it up."

Discussing the matter further, Neil said it was up to individual clubs to know their finances and whether they could afford to play the transfer market.

He pointed out though, repeating what he said a few months ago during the lockdown, that he didn't think it was right that clubs who had deferred wages were continuing to spend.

Neil said: "You can do whatever you want, it is your club. Providing you have got the means to pay what you are forking out., then each club will do what they deem right for themselves.

"There is a threshold. For me it is strengthening the squad to make sure you are strong enough to go and compete and give yourself the best opportunity of having a good season, but equally by not ruining the future of the club in terms of the finances.

"Only the clubs themselves will know where they stand on that threshold. At the end of the day as a manager you want to be able to sign the best players you can, give yourselves the best opportunity to be successful.

"Naturally by strengthening the squad you stand the best chance of winning.

"We haven't had any deferrals on players wages or anything like that which a lot of other teams have done, I think there are only four or five teams who haven't done that.

"I was vilified when I said this earlier, I think it is 100% right and I stick by it, other teams have deferred wages to players and used that money deferred to buy other players.

"I don't think that is fair. By us funding our wages the whole way through, there is not a surplus of cash built up,.

"Unfortunately we find ourselves as one of the only teams in this division I think that has not added a player. For us to improve our squad get better players is very difficult.

"If you look at the going rate for strikers, Ivan Toney was a League One striker last season and has gone for £10m.

"Keiffer Moore moved for big money, Lyle Taylor has been well documented, his wages would have been far out of our reach albeit he moved on a free."