Boss won’t copy transfer errors of past

STEVE Cotterill insists Birmingham City will not repeat the mistakes of the last two transfer windows.

The Blues boss is adamant he will only spend money in January if he can improve a squad that has become bloated in certain positions.

Six players arrived last January, while another 13 came in the summer window – including four central midfielders.

Blues have also brought three senior right-backs to the club this year.

Cotterill has repeatedly spoken of allowing the current squad to breathe and he returned to his theme after Monday night’s defeat to Wolves.

“At the end of the day the window can open, but then you might not end up getting what you want anyway,” he said. “Or you might end up getting that in the last week of January.

“If we do some business in January, it has got to be better than what we have got, otherwise there is no point doing the business – because that for me is what has been done here in the last two windows.

“There has been a lot of money spent – I don’t know if anything is better than what we have got.

“We have got a bigger squad of players but I don’t know whether we have got anything that was necessarily that much better. So we have got to try and mould that together.”

However, one area in which there is a dire need for reinforcements is up-front where Isaac Vassell’s injury has left Birmingham short of options – and goals.

“For me it’s the quality you need to have, otherwise don’t fill your squad up. That’s the big thing for me,” said Cotterill.

“Trying to get a 20-goal striker; everybody wants one of those but they are very, very difficult to come by and they are even more difficult to come by when we are in the situation we are in.”