Can't offer contracts.

So, i've just become the Blackpool manager at the start of 2016 after leaving Scunthorpe. The club was a complete mess and everyone was unhappy. However they have a rather large balance of 22m and budget of 7m to spend. That would be great if I could actually use it. Nobody will enter into negotiations with me regarding contracts. Not even Conference North players (and im in the Championship)

The only players that come up on the search function are rubbish players from Africa who have no chance of getting a work permit, and to make matters worse, my own players won't even discuss a new contract, even the youth players! So soon I will basically have no players.

Anybody had anything like this before?

My wage budget is fine. I can offer up to £48k a week when I put one of these rubbish African players as 'Key Player'

I'm 141k under my wage budget.

Transfer embargo? Would that even affect contracts?

Nope, no transfer embargo as i've had offers accepted.

I just took over another club in the Championship and the search function was fine, players from the same league etc came up and were able to offer them contracts.

Will give it to the end of the season, and see with new expectations whether or not I can do anything next season.

This happened to me when I took over Reading mid season... I ended up losing 9 of my starting 11 because none of them would negotiate with me and even their backups were unhappy.. to make matters worse, every transfer offer I sent out was accepted, only to have the players turn them down... Even my own former players who had loved me and been with me for 5 years up until the previous summer. Things finally settled down though once the contracts expired and all those unhappy campers who would not negotiate with me were gone... Then I could not sign players fast enough... I was getting offers left and right. Worked out for the best I guess, I have a better squad now.