LATEST: New Portsmouth sporting director reveals January transfer plans after ex-Stoke City, Wigan Athletic, Burnley and Everton man’s arrival

And the Blues’ new sporting director believes the funding is there to make the required gains when player trading recommences next month.

Hughes insisted he will be ‘hands on’ in his approach, after joining with an excellent reputation for unearthing gems at Forest Green Rovers.

The 34-year-old feels there is a strong basis to work upon in terms of Danny Cowley’s squad - but there is also some leeway to make gains.

Hughes said: ‘I want to be hands on, absolutely.

‘It (recruitment) is an area where we feel we can make some tweaks.

‘But the one thing we have spoken about is we’ll only make change for significant gain.

‘We’re not going to rip things up, because things for the most part are going well.

‘There’s been some frustrations and there’s been points where we felt we could have probably won games when we’ve drawn them.

‘But we’re in a good spot at the minute, so it’s not a case of ripping everything up and starting again.

‘We’ll make tweaks that can make us in better in the January transfer window - and I know there’s the backing there to go and do so.’

Hughes has been getting an overall picture of the football operation since he started working at Pompey in October.

A big priority, however, has been getting a handle on how things stand with regards to the January window.

That’s not only been in terms of where Pompey need to improve, but also understanding the situations of the players in the building.

He added: ‘A lot of the first month has been getting a handle of where we are target-wise and getting an appreciation of the squad.

‘I need to know where we are, where we’re strong and also getting to understand the contract situations.

‘I will be hands on, because it’s an area I enjoy.

‘But things are in a good spot at the minute. The recruitment was good in the summer and there’s a good mix of players here.

‘We want to drive things forward and every department will need improvement. That’s not to say great work isn’t going on, but we have to get better.’