Livingston boss Davie Martindale admits January will be a quiet transfer window after revealing that the club need to fill a £200,000 void.
Martindale concedes he will have to move some players out if he wants to bolster his squad at the turn of the year.
The Lions boss has been hampered by a £100,000 annual bill for VAR, while the West Lothian outfit are also paying back the same amount on a government loan they took out to help them get through the pandemic.
Livingston are only two points behind their place Aberdeen in the Premiership and in the race for European football but Martindale admits there is unlikely to be many incomings in January.
He said: “I think it will be the quietest it’s been to be honest, with finances I need to watch what I’m doing.
“I probably need to move one or two on to get one or two in. We have a £200,000 hole to fill.
“You have £100,000 for VAR then the Scottish government loan that got us through Covid, we’re paying that back. That’s £100,000 a year.
“Where does that £200,000 come from at a team like Livingston.
“Personally, we’ve got to finish in the top six to try and get more income into the club, potentially European football - get a good Scottish Cup run.
“We’ve not got the fan base or an owner with deep pockets that can say there is £250,000 to get you through to next year.
“I have to be very careful with what I do.
“Can I gamble in getting top six, getting European football, getting a good Scottish Cup run, I can’t. I’ve not got the finances behind me to take that gamble.
“It is going to be a really cautious window in January.
“Am I looking to add in January, probably yes but I need to balance that with the finances for that to happen.”
