Koukash insists Salford are within the salary cap

Salford Red Devils owner Dr Marwan Koukash has asserted that his club are well within the Super League salary cap, despite their recent influx of new signings.

While some in the rugby league community have questioned how Koukash is managing to fit such an array of talent within the cap, he insists that everything is above-board.

He also revealed that while the Red Devils may have paid over the odds in the recent past, that is no longer happening at the AJ Bell Stadium.

“We are absolutely within the salary cap and I am very happy with our recruitment,” he told the Manchester Evening News.

“We have a great squad and increased competition for starting places. There has been a big turnover of players from the squad who started last year. This has helped.

“We no longer pay more than what players are worth. We might have done this is 2014 but not this time.

“A lot of the players we have brought in are far younger than last season’s signings.

“We have also bought from within the Championship with players like Carl Forster.

“We are also building for the future. All the signings have been at a fair price and have even managed to get many below their market value.

“Like I say, we are within the cap. The pressure on the cap may well come in 2016 when we have several very talented young players coming through who may well have earned the chance to be promoted.”

Koukash also has plans to reach out to the wider Manchester community, as well as to try and attract fans from outside the Greater Manchester region.

“Manchester United have many fans from outside Manchester so why can’t Salford?” he said.

“I want to make us known to a variety of sporting clubs including football, cricket and others. It is all about getting people to buy into my vision and became part of Salford.

“The new season is very important. The club also needs to grow financially and we are going into Manchester to send out a message what we are all about.”