Paul Warne has hinted that Derby County are close to completing deals for a few players as he aims to bolster his squad.
Derby are in a strong position to attack the automatic promotion places in the second half of the season.
The Rams are only four points behind league leaders Portsmouth but have a game in hand over them.
After bowing out of the EFL Trophy against Bradford City last night, Paul Warne can now fully prioritise winning promotion out of League One and that will only benefit his squad in the long run.
With rumours in the transfer window gathering pace, Warne has outlined his ambition to add a couple high quality additions to his squad.
He’s looking to strengthen on the wing and provide competition for top scorer James Collins up front.
The 33-year-old has played a lot of football this term and could benefit from being able to have a rest, especially when there are midweek fixtures.
It has already been reported that Derby have retained their interest in Sheffield Wednesday striker Michael Smith after chasing him in the summer while Warne has revealed they are close to making a few signings.
Paul Warne close to completing transfer deals
In the aftermath of their defeat against the Bantams last night, the Derby boss revealed that their transfer business is a work in progress, though he is confident of getting at least two completed before the deadline.
He said: “They have got to be affordable, available and the club has got to allow them to come here. If you don’t get all three you can’t get them. You might get two out of three and on some you might be nearly there.
“We are so close with a couple and I am really confident that we will get at least two in. At the top end of the pitch is where we need it. Until all the boxes are ticked you just can’t make it happen. That’s the truth.
“I am trying to pick people who can come in and play. My intention is to improve the starting 11. I don’t want to live with regret come May. Myself and the club want to do everything we can to bring them in. But we are limited in what we can do.”
Although Warne is desperate to improve his starting XI, Derby’s business plan is still being monitored by EFL and that makes business harder to do.
It appears that the club are prioritising additions in the attacking third, offering competition to the likes of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Collins while improving their squad.
Warne knows how difficult it is to do business in January, hence why they are finding it difficult to get players in, however, if the Rams can get a couple of quality additions over the line, they will fancy themselves to gatecrash the automatic promotion places come May.