Koukash won’t sign second marquee player despite proposing rule

Salford owner Marwan Koukash believes his squad has enough quality and he won’t take advantage of the second marquee player rule he pushed hard for.

Proposals were backed in April for a second marquee player from 2018, allowing clubs to pay a player as much as they choose with it only counting as £150,000 on the salary cap (£75,000 for a homegrown player).

Koukash was one of the main advocates of the new rule and despite championing the changes just three months ago, the Red Devils boss won’t be signing a second marquee player for next season.

“Although I am the one who proposed marquee signings, I’m not sure how it will work when player X comes in and his team-mates know he’s paid a lot more money than them,” he told BBC Radio Manchester.

“Attracting people like Todd Carney or Robert Lui – they are the marquee signings, the quality of players you want to be attracting to the club. But we’ve done that within the cap.”

Salford are enjoying their best season in decades and are preparing for Sunday’s Challenge Cup semi-final against Wigan.

Koukash has described the club’s current situation as ‘a dream’, after they required a Gareth O’Brien extra-time drop-goal to save them from relegation just 10 months ago.

Head coach Ian Watson is likely to have a selection headache for the game at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, with new signings Manu Vatuvei and Tyrone McCarthy available for selection.

Sunday will be Salford’s first semi-final for 19 years when they were beaten by Sheffield Eagles, with their only Challenge Cup triumph coming against Barrow in 1938.