MARK Hughes is proving to be a shrewd operator when it comes to wheeling and dealing in the transfer market.

Twelve months ago, the Blackburn boss famously pulled off a masterstroke when he unearthed Ryan Nelsen and Aaron Mokoena at a time when the club was fighting for its life at the wrong end of the Premiership.

Now the Rovers chief looks to have worked his magic again to bolster the team's quest for Europe with the loan signing of Florent Sinama Pongolle from Liverpool.

It was absolutely imperative that Hughes got another striker in before the transfer window closed last night.

Injuries to Craig Bellamy and Paul Dickov have decimated the Welshman's attacking options over the last fortnight and that has coincided with Rovers crashing out of both domestic cup competitions.

New blood was therefore needed to stop the season from fizzling out.

I might have been a centre-half by trade but I've always believed that centre forwards are the most vital players in a football team.

Get a decent one and that really fires everyone else up in the side.

But when you lose one - or two in Rovers' case - then it's very difficult to fill the void they leave behind.

Players need to know they've got a threat up front; it's fundamental to their confidence.

If you've got a player like Bellamy firing on all cylinders then everyone goes into the game with a positive mindset, believing he's capable of nicking you a goal.

But when your strikers are struggling, as they have done in Rovers' last two games, it can often have the opposite effect.

That's why it was so important to get a body in to give everyone a lift and Pongolle's arrival should certainly do that.

Although the young Frenchman has never been a regular at Liverpool, he does have a decent pedigree, having played in the Premier League and the Champions League during his time with the Reds.

And even more importantly, he's already proved he can score goals at this level so it's not as if Sparky is taking a punt on an unknown foreigner.

Given a decent run in the side, he may just breathe new life into Rovers' season.

I was also delighted to see Hughes sign David Bentley (below left) on a permanent deal from Arsenal yesterday.

I've been impressed by David this season and I'm sure he'll prove to be a valuable asset over the next three and a half years.

It's one thing having great pedigree, which David obviously has, but you've still got to go out and prove yourself and I think he's done that since he arrived from Highbury five months ago.

His main strength is his quality on the ball, but the fact he's so versatile as well - he can play in a number of different positions - greatly increases Sparky's options.

We've now got the strength in depth to challenge for a European place during the closing months of the season.