McLeish failed in a bid to sign Bobo Balde before the close of the transfer window and admits a centre-half is his chief priority, but he is also looking to strengthen his midfield options with Tottenham's Kevin Prince-Boateng a rumoured target.

He told the club's official website: "I'd like to bolster the squad and I'm still looking at bringing in a player or two right now.

"We obviously tried to get a centre-half in and it didn't work out for us, so we still find ourselves a little bit short in that department, as well as in central midfield.

"I would have liked to make a couple more permanent signings but we just couldn't do it at the time. It was either the deals were too much or it just didn't suit us.

"Rather than rush into anything I think we can definitely use the loan system. West Brom showed you can do it at any time of the season, so there's no need to panic right now."