Warnock eyes quality additions at Palace
Neil Warnock is eager to bring quality to Crystal Palace in January to help cover the absences of Mile Jedinak and Yannick Bolasie.
Both players are on international duty early next year, with captain Jedinak in action for Australia in their AFC Asian Cup campaign while Bolasie features for DR Congo in the Africa Cup of Nations.
And, speaking ahead of Tuesday's Premier League game against Aston Villa, Warnock explained that he is on the lookout for players who are capable of fulfilling the roles played by key figures such as Jedinak and Bolasie.
"It would be nice [to bring in players in January] but the chairman knows that we need to [improve] two or three areas - not just in numbers but quality," he said.
"The quality we probably haven't got but we've got a genuine bunch who don't know when they're beaten.
"We don't want to disrupt what we've got and we need to be careful with the type of player we bring in and they have to be better quality-wise.
"It would be nice to bring someone in on January 1 and we're looking at targets but it's difficult. Other teams want to replace ones they're selling and it always seems to end as a scramble however hard you try.
"James McCarthy came in for Jedinak at Old Trafford and I thought he was superb so we've got players around, but Jedinak and Bolasie will be missed.
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"The good news is that [Marouane] Chamak won't be going. That is a plus for us."
Chamak will not feature at the African showpiece in Equatorial Guinea after Morocco were stripped of hosting the tournament and kicked out due to a disagreement over the dates of the tournament and fears over Ebola.
Warnock also addressed apparent concerns over issues between him and the striker, having brought Chamakh off shortly after the hour in Saturday's draw with Swansea City, following a yellow card in the first half.
"I've not a problem with Cham. On Saturday, he didn't lose it, but the circumstances, even in the second half, he is how he is and he is temperamental," Warnock added.
"He wants to do everything for you but it's a matter of cooling him and I didn't want to risk him missing Tuesday [through suspension].
"A younger more inexperienced ref may have booked him for bouncing the ball or something."