Nigel Pearson is not ruling out new players arriving during the January transfer window and will move swiftly with targets already in mind if the opportunity arises.
The Bristol City manager reiterated the desire to bring in new faces during the early part of the window but emphasised the importance of not wasting the resources available due to the current financial situation.
City posted losses of £28.5million last month which leaves them in a precarious position while the message in the build-up to the window has remained deals can only be completed if a player leaves.
With just over three weeks until the window opens, Pearson didn't directly confirm that remained the case but did concede that they still have to be mindful of the Financial Fair Play regulations. City are targeting a central defender to add competition among the ranks, whether that be in the form of permanent or loan signings.
He said: "We may do some business in January, we may not, It's difficult to say. We know what we are looking for and that’s the bottom line. It will depend on whether we are able to do that business or not.
"If we can’t get the players that we want or a player that we want, it’s not a window to waste resources in. We’ve got to make sure we have an obligation to comply with the Financial Fair Play regulations.
"All these things together isn’t as straightforward as saying we need players or it would be nice to tweak the squad. I don’t know whether there will be players who may leave or they may not.
"All those factors have an impact on the tempo at which you can do business. I’m a big believer in doing January business as early as possible so you get the benefit of an extra month if you do it on the first day."
When asked whether City have targets in mind to move quickly if the opportunity arises, he added: "We always have the targets in mind, we know the types of market we are looking in.
"People need to forget the idea of us splashing out fortunes on players. We know the market we are looking at.
"The club want to be very supportive of the first-team operation of course they do, but we have obligations to make. We can’t throw caution to the wind."
Pearson has also remained open to bringing in at least one player on loan and that could also be in the form of an attacking midfielder. He revealed last month how he attempted to sign Brighton's Reda Khadra, who opted to join Sheffield United, but a maverick-type player remains on his wishlist.
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