CHRIS Hughton is maintaining a watching brief in the transfer market.

He is considering strikers for loan after Chris Wood opted to join Bristol City to the season’s end after his spell at Blues from Albion ended.

“We are in a league where we can bring in loan players seven days after the window closes (up until the last Thursday in March),” he stated. “There will no doubt be some Premier League clubs who have players not getting regular games who will be surplus for whatever period, maybe a month, short loans.”

In effect, Hughton will wait and see who is available if he is unable to secure someone imminently.

The likes of ex-Blue DJ Campbell, who is at QPR and has been recovering from injury, and Liverpool’s rising star Michael Ngoo could come under scrutiny.

In the meantime, Hughton said it was vital the squad continued to play to their maximum.

“It’s important the players give us everything and so far I can’t fault what they have given us,’’ he added.

“There will always be lots of speculation around this transfer window. Not just for me or this club, but for everybody.

“I can only speak for where we are at this moment. We have got a really competitive squad, we are halfway through this window.

“There isn’t anything in the pipeline regarding players leaving this football club.

“I can only work around what the circumstances are at any given time.

“If it meant at some stage somebody left this club, then we have got to make sure we work hard to finish this window with a competitive enough squad to be where we want to be at the end of the season. And, as I say, there is also the loan option after the window closes.”