STEVE Bruce will be content to bide his time for the remainder of the January transfer window, insisting his Hull City jigsaw is almost complete for a final promotion push.
City were the first of the Championship's high-flyers to flex their financial muscles this month when shelling out a combined £3.5m to recruit loan stars David Meyler and Robbie Brady in permanent transfers on Tuesday.
The Tigers' early business has reiterated their ambitious plans to build upon a climb to second in the table, but Bruce is warning supporters that further transfer activity into the KC Stadium could be minimal.
Although the search for a new goalkeeper and a forward will remain active this month, with David Stockdale and Fraizer Campbell firmly in the frame, Bruce has stressed the strength of his squad negates the need for immediate action.
"The key to management is being patient," Bruce told the Mail.
"When you're buying a new player it's like getting a puppy at Christmas, it's a long-term thing.
"Unless you're getting a player on loan, you've got to be 100 per cent sure that it's the right thing to do.
"Of course, you do make mistakes in management but you hope that your good decisions outweigh the bad ones.
"If there is anyone out there, we have to be patient, I won't just be bringing in a player who will be a stop-gap.
"We're bigger and better than that now with where we are in the league, but if there's someone out there who can improve us then we'll act."
Bruce's first priority this month was always to secure the long-term services of Meyler and Brady and those big-money deals were finally completed this week.
A £1.5m fee was enough to lure Meyler away from Sunderland before a further £2m allowed City to beat Watford to the signature of Brady from Manchester United.
The Republic of Ireland international pair were both pivotal players during impressive loan spells in East Yorkshire and, ahead of hosting Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow evening, the pair are yet to end on a losing side when starting for the Tigers.
The arrival of Meyler and Brady has been celebrated by Bruce but he is still uncertain if more will follow.
"If we don't do anymore at all I can still feel pretty satisfied," he said.
"We've got two goalkeepers at the moment which is not always ideal, especially with Mark Oxley just coming back from injury.
"However, when I look at the squad and the way everyone is fit, we're looking pretty strong."
While claims to be "satisfied" are not without good reason, Bruce is not yet willing to call time on his transfer activity.
The City boss has admitted an interest in bringing Campbell back from Sunderland and Stockdale in from Fulham this month, but both moves are dependent on the two Premier League clubs doing business of their own.
Aaron Mclean's loan move to Ipswich and the return of Ben Amos to parent club Manchester United has left City short in key areas and when asked if he would be keen on signing another goalkeeper and forward, Bruce said: "In a perfect world, yes.
"After letting Mclean go out, that would allow Koren to go back into midfield sometimes.
"But it's not always a perfect world and the squad we've got has a nice balance."
