Blues boss Paul Lambert says he’s no nearer to adding another striker to his squad on loan having lost out to other clubs regarding a couple of targets but is continuing his search.
Lambert is looking at bringing in an additional frontman with Oli Hawkins having undergone knee surgery, Kayden Jackson currently suspended for three games and James Norwood having an ongoing hamstring problem.
"That’s where it was on Tuesday,” Lambert said when asked whether there had been any progress on an addition.
"We tried to see if we could get a young one in because of the salary cap, the way it is. But we can’t go and buy Cristiano Ronaldo, we’re going to have to get a young one, and that’s if you can get one.”"
Quizzed on the chances of getting someone in before Monday’s 11pm deadline and whether he has targets identified, he said: "We tried for a couple, we lost out to other teams, but we’ll try again.”
Lambert reiterated that any further addition would have to be a loanee aged below 21 on New Year’s Day 2020 due to the constraints of the salary cap with the Blues looking at players with Premier League or Championship clubs.
"It has to be because we don’t have the finances,” he said. "As I said, we have to look.
"I brought in Josh [Harrop] from Preston, but obviously, he’s not here at the minute. Luke [Thomas] I thought had a really good game [against Peterborough] and I thought he was really good the other night
"I thought he looked exciting to make things happen. So it needs to be that kind of higher level I think, but it would be a young one.”
When he took over at Town in October 2018, Lambert said that he wanted to reduce the number of loan signings the club has made, but the striker would be the fifth.
However, he says that’s down to current circumstances rather than what he sees as ideal.
"That’s it,” he said. "That’s exactly it. If we can’t go out and buy anybody it’s the loan thing we have to go out and try and do. We don’t have those resources which probably a lot of people think we have.”
Whoever comes in can’t just be another body in the squad, he says: "They have to try and make a contribution.”
Regarding potential exits, Lambert would like to get youngsters such as Armando Dobra, Idris El Mizouni and Brett McGavin out to play games in League Two or the Vanarama National League.
"Some of the young ones, some of the young kids that people enquire about,” he said. "The young ones need games, they need senior games rather than U23 games, they need men’s football.”
Would he liked to have moved on any of his senior players this month in order to free up a place in the squad and some wages?
"No, number one, people have got to want you, that’s the thing,” he said. "People have got to want the guys. We’re not forcing anybody out at all, they have to fight to get in the side and cope with all the other stuff. But first and foremost people have got to want you.”