Dundee United are in talks with potential loan arrivals, boss Jim Goodwin has confirmed.
Goodwin has made no secret of his desire to add another striker to his ranks this month, acknowledging a need for pace in the final third to supplement Sam Dalby, Louis Moult and Jort van der Sande.
There could be scope for a further capture beyond that.
And Goodwin reckons United’s lofty berth in the Premiership makes a stint at Tannadice more attractive for their targets.
United are understood to be hopeful of securing a new face before facing Dundee in the Scottish Cup next Monday.
“The next step is that we add a bit of quality to what we’ve already got and make sure we don’t leave ourselves short going into an important part of the season,” said Goodwin.
“There are talks going on with one or two players at the moment. They are good players with a bit of interest from other clubs, but we are in a good position to sell Dundee United to them.
“They can look at the league table and see where we are sitting, which can make those conversations easier. From there, it’s just about coming to a financial agreement that’s workable and manageable for us.
“We won’t have money available to go and buy players like one or two others are – the money some of the clubs are spending in this window is something we can only dream of – but we’ll look to add on loan; at least one, possibly two.
“That should put us in a strong position for the latter stages of the league.”
Meshack and Odada absences addressed
Meshack Ubochioma, who has not featured since his 99th-minute winner against Hibs on October 19, and Richard Odada were not in the squad for Saturday’s 1-0 win over St Mirren.
“Meshack is frustrated by the lack of game-time,” continued Goodwin. “It’s not been down to anything he’s doing.
“The players ahead of him are just doing well, and sometimes the changes of shape haven’t suited the type of player Meshack is.
“Meshack and his representatives may feel like he needs to get out and play some football, which I understand.
“Richard Odada only missed out because I decided to go with an extra striker on the bench to accommodate Louis Moult.”
Goodwin: United downtime crucial
Meanwhile, Goodwin has emphasised the importance of allowing his players to “recharge” after revealing they had just TWO days off between December 19 and the weekend triumph in Paisley.
The United squad will return to full training on Wednesday morning after being afforded a short break to switch off and spend time with friends and family.
“With the game not being until Monday, it seemed like a good time to give the players some time to themselves,” Goodwin continued. “I think they were all sick of the sight of each other by Paisley!
“If you go back to December 19th, they only had two days off prior to the St Mirren game.
“That opportunity to recharge the batteries is very important.
“You don’t get an awful lot of sympathy from the public when you talk about players being tired and needing more time with their families, but they are only human.
“A lot of sacrifices were made over a jubilant time of the year when most people are letting their hair down, eating and having a couple of drinks. Our boys had to remain professional and, in my view, that’s why we had the results we did.”
Ahead of festive target
Boasting a tally of 13 points from a possible 21 from that frenetic period, Goodwin added: “That’s slightly ahead of the target we set the players for the Christmas period – a couple of points better off.
“When you consider the opposition we’ve played – Celtic twice, Aberdeen, Hearts, Rangers, Dundee, St Mirren – we’ve had some very important results against stiff opposition. The players and staff deserve a huge amount of credit.
“As well as our points total, we have come through that period with everyone fully fit and available – bar (David) Babunksi and (Craig) Sibbald – so we are really excited about what’s to come.”
Conversation