TO spend, or not to spend? That is the question facing Steve Cotterill today.

I have no doubt the Burnley manager has been busy scanning a detailed list of targets since accepting defeat in his bid to keep a hold of Ade Akinbiyi.

But it's a double-edged sword he has been left to fight a lonely battle with as January 31 draws close.

On the one hand I am sure Steve would love to spend what the chairman has promised is "well over £1m" - what manager wouldn't?

But on the other, he knows he cannot afford to fritter away precious cash that he has been craving for most of the season.

This late in the transfer window, most of the obvious targets have been snapped up, so how does Steve go about replacing a 14-goal striker from a B or C list of what remains?

It would be the wrong thing to do to jump in and sign Joe Bloggs just because he's available and relatively cheap.

So maybe the answer lies somewhere in between, paying decent wages for a couple of loan signings struggling to find first team football at a Premiership or Championship club.

That way he can still maintain a cutting edge to the summer, while holding onto the majority of his transfer kitty until better, long-term targets become available by the bucketload.

I do feel though that we need two strikers as a priority and not just one. We were sorely in need of a partner for Ade before he left for Bramall Lane, so now the situation is twice as serious.

As for the sale itself, I always had my reservations about Ade. Those who know me will tell you how I felt he had shortcomings, like never attacking the near post enough for example.

But he certainly made an impact and how can I possibly argue with the number of goals Ade scored?

Although £1.75m represents an unbelievable bit of business for a player who cost just £600,000 last year, take those goals away and these are worrying times for fans.