Boss Kieran McKenna says the Blues will continue to look to add to their squad before the Monday 3rd February deadline having signed three players already but admits there are “very, very, very few” strikers available to come in as a third out-and-out number nine and Town may end up going into the second half of the season with only two.
Julio Enciso signed on loan from Brighton this morning, joining Jaden Philogene, who came in on a permanent basis from Aston Villa, and Ben Godfrey, who was loaned from Serie A Atalanta.
Asked whether he planned any further additions, McKenna said: "We'll have to wait and see. Look, we'll go to the last day and try and improve the squad if in any way possible.
"But we have enough depth in the squad, so it's only if we can add players who we think can have a really big impact on the starting XI or a really big impact on the matchday squad and improve us in the remaining games, then we'll do it.
"And if that's not possible, then we have good depth and everyone's on board, hungry and keen to do well.”
If the window were to shut now, would he be happy? "I think when you do your best, you can only ever be satisfied. We've worked hard in the summer, we've worked hard again now and in between a lot of hard work from the club behind the scenes to improve the squad as much as we can.
"That's really, really hard to do from where we're coming from. It's a real challenge and balancing act in so many different things, but I think the club certainly tried to do that.
"Where we are now is we have a squad with good depth and the players, again, a good mixture of qualities throughout the squad.
"And a group of players desperate to do well, so that's a pretty good place to be. I'd say if we can make any improvements that we think can push us to another level, we'll do so. And if not, then we'll crack on with what we have here.”
A third striker is understood to have been on the Blues’ wish-list all summer - with Ali Al-Hamadi appearing on his way out to the Champoionship - and while McKenna says that’s the ideal scenario it may be that Town will go into the second half of the campaign with Liam Delap and George Hirst as their only number nines.
"It’s always a balancing act to have on that between what’s the best for the club, which has to come first and foremost, really. Also what’s best for the player,” he said.
"As I’ve said, ideally I think we’d like to have three out-and-out number nines in the building with the profile that usually starts for us as the number nine.
"But if you have lots of players in the supporting positions who have different types of characteristics and you have two out-and-out strikers fit with other players who have different characteristics who can play the role in different variations, then that’s also a possibility as well.
"We’ve operated the first half of this season with two strikers fit, in the second half of last season George Hirst was unfit for the second half of the season really, so we had at one point just Freddie Ladapo, then we had in the second half of the season Kieffer Moore and Ali together.
"It’s very rare that we’ve had three out-and-out strikers fit and in the building. That’s probably the utopia in terms of the depth, but it’s not always easy to come across that balance and find players who can improve the quality that we have in those positions already.
"If that’s possible to do, then we’ll look at it. If not, if we have the second half of the season and we have two fit centre-forwards and enough quality behind that that can play in different roles, that’s another way to approach the second half of the season as well.”
McKenna says potential number nines are extremely limited in number: "There would be very few, to be honest, very, very, very few. I think that’s for all signings in January.
"If you look at two seasons ago when we brought in Nathan Broadhead, George Hirst, Harry Clarke, Massimo [Luongo], players who could come into the team and within a few weeks are first XI players playing every week and are dominating at the level.
"To do that in January as Ipswich Town [in the Premier League] is impossible, it’s not going to happen. For players to come in and settle in and have that much impact is not possible, and that’s as you go up through the leagues, probably last year we made some signings and the impact was positive but a little bit different in terms of the games and the minutes that they played, and we’ll try and make the best of this year.
"In all the positions, I think it’s really competitive, we’re operating now at the very, very top echelons of the game, so players that can come in and improve your team or even improve your squad in season without a settling in period, aren’t that easy to find and even those who you think will do it, there’s no guarantee.
"Everyone’s competing in that same market and we’ll do so until the very end of the window to improve where we can. But at the same time, I know January signings are always a big story and supporters want to see them and the players want to see players come in and the staff want to see the additions that can help us.
"But at the end of the day, it’s us who are in the building, it’s the staff, it’s the people, it’s the players in the building who have the main responsibility to keep pushing us forward, and if players can come in and help us along the way and give us an extra little push, then that’s fantastic, but at this level, it’s those that are already in the building whose main responsibility is to keep pushing this team forward.”
With strikers being a sought-after commodity, is McKenna surprised no one’s come knocking regarding Delap, who the Blues boss has repeatedly said previously Town have no interest in selling, despite links with Chelsea and Spurs among others, with the players similarly focusing on Town.
"I don't know what doors have been knocked, to be honest, and I don't have any interest. We don't have a doorbell and the music is on loud,” McKenna smiled.
"Liam's doing okay. He's a young striker, still got lots of improving to do. He's working hard here and he's continuing to work hard to keep getting better and help the team improve.”
Regarding outgoings, the Blues need to move on two or three players in order to reduce the squad down to make the requirements of the 25-man squad.
George Edmundson has been recalled from his loan at Middlesbrough but it seems likely the clubs will continue to discuss his permanent move to Teesside, the Blues having turned down two bid.
Al-Hamadi was in talks with West Brom earlier in the week but with a number of Championship clubs, Stoke reportedly among them, also keen, although with the Blues understood to want to recoup a large chunk of the £2 million fee they ultimately ended up paying AFC Wimbledon for the Iraq international.
McKenna has previously said discussions have taken place with Harry Clarke regarding a loan move with Sheffield Wednesday understood to be interested.
"I think there's a possibility for one or two,” he said. "I've had a follow-up update today on every situation.
"I think Ali Al-Hamadi's been having some conversations and quite a lot of interest from different clubs, so it's possible that there might be some movement there if there's the right opportunity for him or for the club.
"George Edmundson, of course, has been recalled, but there have been discussions there. So there's a possibility that it'll be one or two bits of movement and they're working on those things alongside the players.”