The former Birmingham City boss was speaking to Talksport on Thursday.
Steve Cotterill has admitted he was aware of Birmingham City’s financial problems during his time as manager of the Blues.
Cotterill spent five months in charge at St Andrew’s last season, succeeding Harry Redknapp and preceding Garry Monk.
The Blues ended that campaign under a soft transfer embargo after breaching the EFL’s Profit & Sustainability rules, for which they were recently deducted nine points.
“Yes (he was aware), is the answer to that,” Cotterill told Talksport on Thursday lunchtime. “I think I knew that because I ended up, probably to my detriment in the end, in the January window I ended up sort of getting rid of about five players that probably gave us about £2.5-3 million back in the bank, through wages. Just players going back from either on loan or going to another club. So it all mounted up.
“People had a couple of years on their contracts – certainly one of them did anyway. So I knew there was always going to be that cut if you like. But also I didn’t mind that. What I did say to them (the owners) is if we bring in £3 million can I have five-or-six-hundred grand back, because we need some loans just to balance us off a little bit.
“I didn’t get that. But what’s gone is gone. It’s probably a good idea I didn’t get it because of the points deduction – could it have been worse?”
Along with his predecessor, Gianfranco Zola, Redknapp has been widely criticised for his contribution to Birmingham’s troubles, having overseen a hefty summer recruitment drive.
But Cotterill, who was initially employed as Redknapp’s assistant, added: “Yes, it is. It is unfair (to blame Redknapp). Managers’ jobs are to manage the team and work within the budgets that are set out by the board. That is your job.
“He’ll either work within it, spend all of it, spend some of it or, in my case, spend none of it. That’s what happens.
“I’m pretty sure Harry would have never have signed a player that he hadn’t been told, ‘yes, you can sign him’. You just can’t. You don’t do that as a manager.”
Ultimately, Cotterill was unable to sign a single player in his only window as Birmingham boss.
And, as the 54-year-old feared, the Blues were soon hit by the injury problems that would lead to his departure.
Zola is currently employed as Chelsea’s assistant manager, although Redknapp and Cotterill have yet to return to football.
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