Cardiff City's January transfer priorities are already clear, with a winger, striker and No.6 on the club's wishlist, but the Asian Cup could make those reinforcements even more important.
There was no panic from Cardiff when the summer transfer window closed with the squad a couple of players short. Although there was an acceptance that the squad was left light.
The club could have turned to the free-agent market or brought in players simply because they were available, but, it has been stressed, that is no longer how Cardiff operate.
Significant work under way
According to the latest meeting between the Supporters' Trust and Cardiff chiefs, Patrick Deboys, head of recruitment, said "significant work is already underway for the January window".
In an ideal world, City would add a winger, striker and No.6 in January.
The need for greater pace and a different dimension on the flanks is particularly obvious. Ollie Tanner and Chris Willock are already doing plenty of good work. Tanner currently ranks first in the Championship for chance creation, with Willock third. But Cardiff need more help in that department.
Midfield and attack targets
The situation in midfield is similarly clear. A new No.6 to challenge Alex Robertson remains firmly on the agenda.
Cardiff allowed Ryan Wintle to leave during the summer on the understanding that a replacement defensive midfielder would be recruited, but the right opportunity never presented itself. There is confidence that it will in January.
The same applies at the top end of the pitch, where a back-up to Yousef Salech is required. Cardiff had attackers lined up during the summer, but for one reason or another those deals did not materialise.
Asian Cup impact
The Asian Cup runs from January 7 to February 5, meaning Cardiff could potentially lose as many as three players during a crucial period of the season.
Perry Ng is currently in Singapore on another familiarisation stint as he works towards getting his passport over the line and becoming eligible to represent the country. Robertson, meanwhile, withdrew from the current Australia squad as he manages his workload. There have also been reports of Jordan keeping tabs on Salech, with the striker potentially in line to be involved with their squad.
Singapore, Australia and Jordan are all involved in the Asian Cup. It is therefore not beyond the realms of possibility that Cardiff could be without Ng, Robertson and Salech at the same time.
That would leave three hugely important players unavailable and would, naturally, intensify the need to strengthen both the striker and No.6 positions.
No need for alarm
Work is already under way on the club's January transfer strategy, although the feeling behind the scenes remains that there is no need for alarm.
Cardiff are content with the options currently available to Barry-Murphy and his coaching staff, particularly with the squad beginning to click into gear. City finally secured their first league victory of the season in convincing fashion before the international break, ending a run of seven games without a win.
There are also important reinforcements of their own on the way, with Dylan Lawlor, Rubin Colwill and Will Fish all progressing towards full fitness.
The view was that bringing in a player who was not considered good enough simply to fill a gap could have scuppered Cardiff's chances of bringing in their preferred option when the right opportunity presented itself. That remains the thinking.
Barry-Murphy, his staff and Cardiff's recruitment team are already looking towards January with the aim of strengthening the squad, rather than simply adding bodies. The objective is to give City the tools to put together a strong second half of the season and build towards the future, with the club determined that any new arrivals should genuinely improve what they already have.
