BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes will keep his hands firmly in his pockets when the transfer window re-opens in two months' time.

Hughes is suitably happy with the squad he already has and, barring a major injury crisis, he has ruled out the possibility of splashing the cash on new recruits when the window opens on January 1.

The forward-thinking Rovers chief is pleased with the steady progress the club is making on the field and he would rather save any resources for squad strengthening at the end of the season, when better players are likely to be more freely available.

That's not to say the Welshman won't make any signings during the January window, however.

If there was a chance to strengthen the squad by bringing in a player on loan then that's an avenue Hughes would be interested in pursuing.

Hughes has already lined up a trial for Norwegian striker Karim Aoudia, who will spend a week with the club later this month.

And, as we revealed earlier this week, he is also keen on taking a closer look at Ghana midfielder Anthony Annan, although the 19-year-old would need to get a work permit sorted out first.

The Rovers boss has also expressed an interest in a Polish centre-back, whose identity remains a mystery.

But the message coming out of Ewood is clear - 'don't expect any big-name arrivals in January' because Hughes intends to keep his powder dry until the end of the season.

"I'm reasonably happy with the make-up of the squad at the moment," said Hughes, speaking ahead of today's home game with Charlton.

"We've got a lot of people fighting for places and the competition is healthy for us. That's probably something we didn't have last year.

"If opportunities present themselves then we may be able to bring someone in, but, invariably, in the January window it's likely to be a loan deal or something like that.

"You don't really have the opportunity to bring big money signings in at that stage because no-one wants to release their players.

"So if anyone does come in then it will probably be on loan."

Rovers' solid start to the season means that Hughes can afford to be more circumspect when pondering his moves in the market, unlike last season when he had to make major changes in the January window to arrest a relegation crisis.

However, his swoops for Ryan Nelsen, Aaron Mokoena and Robbie Savage proved to be inspired pieces of business as Rovers comfortably staved off the threat of relegation with more than a month of the season to spare.