Speaking via the club web-site Mark Hughes addressed the slow moving transfer season and recent injuries:
“We have put bids on the table and some have been rejected at the level we have pitched them. I am sure that this week we will be making more offers.
“What we are trying to do is make sure that when we do make those offers they are at a level that clubs will actually discuss. They are players that we want to attract so there is no point going in at a level that you know is going to be dismissed out of hand.
“It is about getting the balance and the pitch of the offer right and if you do that then more often than not a deal can be concluded more quickly.
“Long, drawn out deals tend to test everyone’s patience so it is better to look at the market, look at what you think the club that has the player would want and go in at that level. If valuations are way out of kilter then it becomes more drawn out.
“I have highlighted players that I think will help and then that is taken over by Garry Cook and Paul Aldridge and they conclude the deals. Managers always want a turnover of players because new faces give everyone a lift.
“I don’t think there’s been many deals done. Our deal for Wayne is one of the only ones that has been done.
“It’s six days into the window so there’s not been that many deals done over that time. The deals themselves take time, you have to speak to clubs, then you get permission to speak to players and then there’s agents and advisers.
“So it’s a long, drawn out process and as much as we would like to get the business done quickly, it’s not always possible. We’re in the process now of trying to get good players that will address the needs that we have.
“It’s not easy, everybody knows that, and it’s not going to be a process that’s concluded very quickly. You try to do the business quickly but clubs don’t want their good players to leave so it can be difficult.
“We get linked with everybody and I think Carlos Tevez was one of the few that hadn’t been now that he has I think that’s the full set.
“I don’t want to talk about players at other clubs, other people are quite prepared to do that for us. We’re trying to get players in that we know are attainable and realistic – that’s always been our stance.
“The targets and the areas that we feel need to be strengthened still stands true. We haven’t been swayed from our plan of acquisition and that’s been explained to the powers that be and that’s why the message from myself has always been consistent.
“We’ll try and get players in this week if we can and I’ve said for a number of months that certain areas need to be strengthened and will look to address those.
“We’ve got about 12 senior players injured and possibly unavailable for the weekend so that’s a big chunk of our squad so we’ve got to look at what’s available to get a team that’s competitive and can win the game.
“It’s early in the week so we’re hopeful that some of the injuries will resolve themselves nearer to the weekend but we’ll just have to see how people improve leading into the game.”
