Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew hopes he can land his striker signing in January.
Pardew still insists owner Mike Ashley will give him the opportunity to spend the £35million taken from Liverpool for Andy Carroll in January. But he knows Newcastle will not spend for the sake of it.
Pardew said: "The fans want the No 9 shirt filled. I just hope we can fill it in January.
"I think it's important that I put pressure (on the board). I feel the enthusiasm we have generated at the start of the season has gone with the signing not coming in. I've stressed that many times to Derek (Llambias, the managing director) and Mike.
"They are passionate about the way they see the club and the way they want to do deals. They wouldn't do a loan or a short-term fix, whereas I would have liked to. I had a couple of options that I thought would have worked for us but it has to work for them.
"The board make the decision about who they think is financially right for the club."
