SAINTS boss Nathan Jones has hinted at possible player departures from his first team squad - but insisted that the priority is to add to his options in the final week of the transfer window.

As January nears its conclusion, Saints have made two permanent additions to bolster Jones’s squad, bringing in Mislav Orsic from Dinamo Zagreb and Charly Alcaraz from Racing Club while Jan Bednarek was recalled from his loan spell at Aston Villa.

And Jones has made it clear that he hopes for more additions this month, pointing to his side’s lack of firepower. Meanwhile, Saints are closing in on a deal for Luton Town full-back James Bree.

Even with Tino Livramento, Juan Larios, Armel Bella-Kotchap, and Stuart Armstrong sidelined through injury, Jones has been forced into difficult decisions with a large squad at his disposal, summer signing Joe Aribo not even making the matchday squad for Saints’ 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United.

And Jones made it clear that the club is open to possible player departures even as they search for more reinforcements.

“Look, what we have to do is keep moving everyone forward,” the 49-year-old told the Daily Echo ahead of Tuesday night's League Cup semi-final first leg clash with Newcastle.

“What we can’t do is literally just hold a load of players and keep them. Because then you have passengers and passengers become problematic in the end. So you can’t do that. 

“We want a small tight squad but we need certain things in the squad. We need certain things improved in the squad in terms of maybe a little bit of size, maybe a little bit more aggression, maybe a tiny bit more quality to add a bit of potency. 

“And once we’ve got that then yeah, we can make a decision on if we need to move people out - if that’s in the best interest of them and the club. 

“That’s an ongoing decision but what we really have to concentrate on now is improving the squad so that first of February we’re in a better place.”

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