STEVE Bruce says all his energies will now be shifted towards strengthening Hull City's midfield before the Premier League kicks off.
The £1.6m capture of striker Yannick Sagbo from Evian continued a busy summer in the transfer market, becoming the eighth new signing since promotion was sealed in May.
Joining fellow new boy Danny Graham, Sagbo's arrival provides Bruce with the attacking depth he has sought all summer.
But with City travelling to Chelsea on August 18, the boss knows he faces an uphill battle to address the final area of his squad.
"We'll still maybe look at another couple to add to the squad," said Bruce, after watching his side lose 2-1 at Birmingham on Saturday. "It's proving very, very difficult. More difficult than it's ever been.
"That's what the challenge is, you've got to find them at the right price and see if they'll come to us.
"Midfield is the area that concerns me most now we've got Sagbo and Graham in. If Sone Aluko stays fit we've got a group of strikers who are a little bit different.
"We're still a bit thin in the middle of the park and that's the area we'll be looking at."
Bruce's long-standing midfield target has been Stoke's Wilson Palacios but hopes of landing his former Wigan servant appear to be receding.
As well as playing 70 minutes in Stoke's 1-0 win over FC Dallas on Saturday, the one-time outcast was again singled out for praise from manager Mark Hughes, who suggested Palacios could be "like a new signing" at the Britannia Stadium.
Bruce said: "It's wrong for me to talk about other people's players. I'm going to be linked with him because he's been one of mine.
"I don't know if Stoke are going to let him go. He's certainly a player I like but we'll see."
Bruce, meanwhile, revealed trialist Daylon Claasen had returned to Belgium and fans will also have to wait for the first appearance of new boy Sagbo.
Despite signing off the deal on Friday, the Ivorian is still awaiting international clearance. That was not expected to arrive before facing Peterborough at London Road tonight, meaning his debut should come against Dynamo Dresden on Saturday.
Liam Rosenior, Abdoulaye Faye and Corry Evans all missed out against Birmingham through injury but may play at Peterborough tonight (7.45pm).
Cameron Stewart will undergo scans today on a knee injury suffered in a City XI fixture at Grimsby Town on Friday night.
Bruce confirmed the young winger had suffered a knock to the same knee that kept him out of action for eight months, but the severity of the set-back will not be known until results of the scan.
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