Mauricio Pellegrino says Saints are looking at options to strengthen their squad next month.

Pellegrino is fully focused on his team’s trip to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today, but admits that planning is well underway for the opening of the transfer window in just over a fortnight.

No doubt there will be plenty of rumours linking players with moves away from St Mary’s, but Pellegrino is also considering potential new signings, though admits nothing is guaranteed in a difficult market.

He said: “We are thinking about we have got some options and maybe we have got enough squad but we have to think about if we can do some movements.

“I can’t say nothing about that (where I want to strengthen) because my plan in my mind is one but the market offers not too many possibilities in January and you have to think about players in other leagues, in Premier League not playing too much. It depends.

“Always our club is ready on the market to try to be better and improve our squad.

“We have got a lot of players in our club that the other clubs wants to buy or on loan.

“Also the market offers not much but we will be ready.”

Inevitably Virgil van Dijk will be linked with a move away from St Mary’s.

Saints stood firm and resisted the temptation to cash in during the summer, despite the Dutch defender’s transfer request, but he could be in demand again.

“I can’t say nothing about that because you never know what can happen in the future,” he said.

“Yes I would like to keep my important players in the squad.”

There are still plenty of games for Saints to negotiate before the window opens, starting at Chelsea this afternoon, where they will look to bounce back from their 4-1 defeat to Leicester.

“I think for us it is a good opportunity because maybe we will play against a team where we will find more spaces,” reckoned Pellegrino.

“In the last few games against the biggest teams in the Premier League we play well and we try to repeat.”

Pellegrino found himself apologising to fans after the Leicester loss, and hopes he isn’t doing that again.

“When you do everything I think it’s not too many times I say sorry to the fans,” he admitted.

“When you do everything and you lose a game I don’t feel to say sorry to my fans. I try to do my best and lost.

“When you feel you can do something more the first feeling is to be sorry for that.

“My players are intelligent and know it was a really bad game and to be humble in this moment you have to be conscious what we did wrong and to bounce back and learn from difficult situation.

“You learn how people are in difficult positions.”