Ross County manager Malky Mackay hopes any January additions can improve the consistency of the Staggies’ squad.
Mackay has confirmed he is aiming to bolster his pool at Victoria Park during this month’s transfer window.
The Staggies sit bottom of the Premiership at present, three points adrift of both Dundee United and Motherwell.
Mackay, who brought in 10 signings during the summer, wants any new arrivals to bring the best out of the players already in his squad.
He said: “I’m going to try and freshen it up and try to add to the squad in a couple of spots.
“We have talked before that Harry Kane is not sitting waiting in the wings to come in here.
“At the same time, I’ve got a group of boys who to a man have been terrific for this club.
“I see the sweat for the jersey every week. It’s not the quality, it’s the consistency of our players that needs to be slightly better.
“They have all got talent, they have all shown it in patches. We just haven’t had enough so far this season that I can say have been Mr Reliable every week in terms of that consistency.
“That’s the bit we strive to get more of.”
Incoming players must be viable additions for Staggies
Mackay insists any potential mid-season arrival must meet a strict criteria before the Staggies will make their move.
He added: “We have irons in the fire, but we’re in there with everyone else.
“I’ve said it before about the things you are looking for. Are they better than what you’ve got, are they available, are they viable, and is there competition for them?
“All of those have to come together for us to actually bring someone in.
“It would look great to bring four or five players in, but within two weeks you could realise that they’re not at the level of the Premiership in Scotland.
“That has happened at various clubs before – including ours – where people arrive in January and you wonder what happened to them because they didn’t play for six months.
“Chances are it wasn’t a falling out, they just trained and everybody at the club could see they weren’t good enough.
“We’ve got to make sure we do things properly for the viability of the club, and not spend money for the sake of spending money.
“There is risk attached to everything in terms of shooting for the moon, because you might not reach the sky, but at the same time what comes in has got to compete on that pitch in the Premiership.
“January is a very different window to July and August.”
Last January’s recruitment showed brief impact can go a long way
County had a relatively quiet January window last year, with defenders Declan Drysdale and Kayne Ramsay arriving on loan from Coventry City and Southampton respectively.
Although neither player held down a regular spot in the starting line-up, Mackay feels both are examples of players who made a contribution to his squad, with the Staggies going on to clinch a top-six spot last term.
He added: “The guys that came in last January – Declan and Kayne – weren’t regulars until the end of the season but they both did impact the team a few times.
“They were involved with a couple of goals and put in good defensive performances, so whoever comes in has got to be someone who has the values we share at this football club.
“You don’t want to bring in someone that a club is desperate to get rid of for a good reason, then you’re just taking someone else’s problem.”
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