Andy Hessenthaler is excited by the ever-improving level of competition in the National League despite the challenges this may pose when it comes to transfer business.

Dover are reshaping their squad having released 11 players and bid farewell to loanee Josh Debayo at the end of the campaign.

They are still also waiting on replies to contract offers from skipper Mitch Brundle and Anthony Jeffrey, with Hessenthaler announcing on Thursday that Bedsente Gomis had rejected a new deal at Crabble.

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Hessenthaler said: “It was interesting what the chairman (Jim Parmenter) said (about the National League becoming an extension on the Football League).

“We’re probably a small club now with what’s in this league.

“There are some big clubs in there. It’s quite exciting, the thought of Notts County coming to Dover, who would have thought that a while back?

“It’s exciting really, to have all these teams in here. We’ve got a competitive budget, it’s about getting the right recruitment in that dressing room.”

Goalkeeper Yusuf Mersin was unveiled as the club’s first signing of the summer last week, joining on a two-year deal after being released by Crawley.

Dover also recently announced the arrival of Jack Munns from Dagenham & Redbridge on a two-year deal, taking the squad to 13 players and five away from the target of 18.

“We’re talking to a lot,” admitted Hessenthaler. “We’ve made offers to players and are waiting on a few.

“The problem is that it’s difficult, I won’t lie it’s difficult and every manager finds that now.

“There’s a lot of money in the league now and players are looking at that situation, it comes down to money.”

A desirable trait for any new arrivals will be their ability to settle into a visibly close-knit squad at Crabble, the reduced size of which is set to give Hessenthaler a less demanding job as far as his man management duties are concerned.

He added: “I don’t like having cliques in a team, you want a group that are together, that’s what we tried to do with things on and off the pitch last season in terms of getting together and the boys doing things together activity wise.

“That’s the sort of thing we’ll be doing this year, it just pulls everybody together, not just managing the 11 but those that aren’t playing as well.”

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