Paul Heckingbottom admits this transfer window could be another case of 'firefighting' and 'plugging gaps' with loan players as he expects much of the business to be done in the final days of January.

The Reds – who are currently 19th in the Championship and three points above the relegation zone – have so far only brought in striker Keiffer Moore from Ipswich Town. While there is a chance of another deal being done today, Heckingbottom expects the majority of the business to be completed closer to when the window closes in 12 days.

He has likened the situation to January last year when Barnsley mainly signed loan players and says that, although he is working well with the club's new owners, they may not be in a position to bring in many permanent signings to develop over a long time.

Heckingbottom told the Chronicle: "It's pointless getting permanents in if they are not good enough. If we use loans, we use loans. We have three loan spots available so it would be silly not to look at that.

"But, if you want to build and make yourself better for the long term, it is about permanents either this window or the next window. We are not as high in the league this January and there are a lot of gaps to be filled in the squad."

Barnsley visit Aston Villa tomorrow before hosting another promotion hopeful in Fulham a week later for their last January fixture.Heckingbottom said: "We recruited too late in August and handicapped ourselves. Luckily this January there aren't games Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday.

"When you rely on loans to come in, chances are it will be end of the window and we have two more games before that which is not ideal.

"It's hard work. We have got to come out of January in a better place than when we came into it. I think we are on track to do that. There are people we would have loved to have brought in but we have missed out on them.

"I have agreed with the new owners (a consortium headed by Chien Lee) what we need to do to improve but this window has come too soon and we are in the same position as we have been for the last four.

"If we bring a lot of loans in again it will be a firefighting exercise with us plugging gaps. Eventually we want to bring in our own players, work with them and stop other clubs profiting from our good work."

Many of the players the Reds are looking at are based overseas, as the club looks to build a foreign network. Heckingbottom says he is working with the new owners to improve the recruitment process.

He said: "We have been good at recruitment but we 100 per cent need to be better. I can't lose focus thinking about recruitment when my role is working with the players in the building.

"We need someone working on recruitment so that, if something happens to me or if the club get rid of me, nothing changes. I can't just have a name thrown at me then be asked to make a judgement on six minutes of video. I won't do that. It's not right.

"That is part of the process we have to improve. We need someone who knows the players inside out and is willing to put their name to them."

Asked if he has the final say on transfers, Heckingbottom said: "My argument is: sign him if you want but, if I am not playing him, you are wasting your money. 

"It's not my club. I haven't got a budget of X amount of millions to spend as I wish. It's got to be joined-up thinking and you have to respect other people at the football club. I give my opinion but we work together. Ideally, I would like to supply the information of what is needed and the profile of each player and the team we want which is relevant to the town of Barnsley. Then someone comes up with names and we select one that is most appropriate. The new owners respect my opinions and all my dealings with them have been very positive."

Barnsley are hoping to bring in at least one more striker after Moore joined 11-goal top-scorer Tom Bradshaw as well as Mamadou Thiam who has one goal in 19 matches for the Reds. Their chances of bringing in Oliver McBurnie – who thought he had moved to Oakwell in August but the deal was completed too late – have reduced as other Championship clubs are interested in the 21-year-old who started in Swansea City's draw at Newcastle United this week.

Central midfield is another area in need of strengthening as shown by the crisis caused by the suspension of Joe Williams and Gary Gardner's unavailability tomorrow against his parent club Aston Villa. The Reds have been linked with Austrian Christoph Knasmullner, who has visited Oakwell but is not thought to be close to signing this week, and Swansea's Scottish youngster Jay Fulton.

Players could also leave Barnsley this window, with Andy Yiadom still on the radar of Premier League clubs including Swansea City. The Reds have been linked with a move for Spanish left-back Daniel Pinillos, formerly of Nottingham Forest.

Barnsley are looking for a new goalkeeper to provide competition for Adam Davies with Nick Townsend likely to be moved on if a new stopper arrives. Simon Eastwood, the Oxford United goalkeeper, is one of a number of goalkeeping targets the Reds have been looking at.

Winger Dylan Mottley-Henry, 20, has extended his Barnsley contract until 2020.