Margate manager Nikki Bull says rumours about the club’s financial position continue to seriously scupper his attempts to sign players.

Bull declared last week that the Blues had started 2017 debt free but he claims speculation still abounds and it is putting potential signings off.

The Gate boss had hoped to bring in as many as five new players ahead of Saturday's 3-0 Vanarama National League South home defeat to Bishop’s Stortford but in the end he wasn’t able to get one deal over the line.

A frustrated Bull said: “The perception of players is that they’re not going to get paid if they come here – but that’s just not the case.

“There isn’t one player at the club who hasn’t had every penny he’s been owed. We’ve made sure of that because for all the problems we’ve been keen to make sure we still do the right thing by the players.”

Bull said he thought he was close to sealing several deals at the end of last week, but revealed one fell through because the Championship club he was hoping to loan a striker from did not come back to him in time.

The Blues boss claimed another fell through after the offer on the table from Margate was gazumped by another club.

He explained: "Players agree to come to us until they get a better option and that's what I'm finding.

"People are saying they're coming, they're coming, they're coming. They know we're not going anywhere and then, at the last minute, someone else comes in.

"A couple of the players I thought I was signing on Friday, I agreed money with their clubs and there are other clubs paying those clubs more than what they're paying the players.

He added: “On Friday there was a lad from another Conference South club that we were about to sign.

"There were two lads who had been released from a National League club that we were going to sign and then at the last minute their agents call and say they need another £150 a week to come because they don’t think they are going to get paid, so while they are here they want good money and they want some of it up front.”