IF Chancellor George Osborne thinks managing the country's finances is difficult then maybe he should spare a thought for Wanderers boss Neil Lennon.

As the nation continues to tighten its belts, the Whites boss has his own austerity measures to deal with.

Not that the Northern Irishman is letting it get him down, though, having already made five astute free transfer signings this summer.

The financial situation remains tight at the Macron Stadium with talks of summer investment not coming to fruition as yet.

And when offers come in for players like they did this week for player of the year Tim Ream from Queens Park Rangers, the club has to weigh up its options – just as it did in January when Chung-Yong Lee was sold to Crystal Palace for around the £1million mark.

A similar figure was rebuffed for Ream this week and it remains to be seen whether the recently-relegated Londoners come back with an improved offer to try and tempt Wanderers into a sale.

Lennon, however, is keen to keep his best players and says he is under no pressure to sell anyone.

The manager told The Bolton News: "I don’t think we’re at that stage where we have to sell.

"It’s just that we can’t spend too much if you want to put it that way.

"It hasn’t been easy looking for players either.

"We are okay and operating within the means of a budget.

"We are not under pressure to sell.

"There has been interest in Tim and some other players as well who we want to keep.

"It’s important we do keep good players because they are an integral part of what we want to do here."

Things could change if there was outside investment but Lennon says he remains focused on the job in hand and leave the business side of the club to the board of directors.

He added: "I don’t know about a takeover but there was talk of investment coming into the club.

"That has been mooted in certain areas but there has been nothing concrete.

"At the end of the day it has really got nothing to do with me.

"It is up to the owners and the board to do what they think is best for the club and I know that is exactly what they do.

"It’s not as easy as someone coming in and handing over a suitcase full of money."

Until anything changes, Lennon will continue to operate within his budget and look to fend off interest in his better players like Ream.

Another who he hopes will remain a Wanderers player for a long time is 20-year-old forward Zach Clough.

The academy graduate made a big impact when he burst on to the first-team scene in January and his efforts did not go unnoticed with reported interest from Manchester United among others.

Lennon, however, hopes the 'not for sale' signs remain in place for his young striker who he is believes can get even better this season.

Lennon said: "I think we have been lucky to unearth a gem here.

"We want to keep Zach and enjoy him as long as we can.

"We think he’s a talent and that he has goals in him.

"Maybe people will be a little more wary of him this season because he really exploded onto the season last year.

"It didn’t affect him at all – he is the sort of player who gets on with it.

"He is the type of player who will have an impact on most games for us.

"He looks stronger. He had that little bit of rehabilitation time and has been working very hard in the gym in those three months out.

"He looks to have filled out a bit more and he still has a few years growing to do yet.

"I think we have a very good player on our hands.

"I don’t want him to change his style and have anything coached out of him.

"He has that natural ability to open teams up that not many players have.

"He is a great kid whose temperament is fantastic."