Stuart Pearce insists he has not given up hope of bringing Shaun Wright-Phillips back to Manchester City on loan.
The England winger has been the subject of interest from a number of clubs during the January transfer window and is understood to have already rejected the chance to move to West Ham.
The likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle are also believed to be keen on the Chelsea man, but Pearce stills holds out hope that Wright-Phillips could be coaxed back to Eastlands before the end of the month.
"I certainly would not rule that out, "said Pearce.
"You never know what might happen. Somewhere near the end of the window Chelsea might want to do a deal."
However Blues boss Jose Mourinho has made clear he will not sanction any departures if he is not allowed to bring in any new faces at Stamford Bridge, and Pearce believes the nature of the transfer window means that few major deals will take place across the Premiership as a whole.
"It is your busiest time as a manager and you are always on the phone about this player and that," Pearce continued.
"It is becoming an awkward window. Everyone wants to buy someone to shuffle their pack but there are not many sellers.
"Not much business is being done. It is not a great month for quality players moving on."
City have had a productive time on the pitch, with three wins in their last four games, but Pearce has warned his side that they face a gruelling task over the coming months if they are to maintain their top-ten status.
"We are aiming to build a springboard after the Christmas period. I still feel it is going to be so tight going through until April.
"There will be a lot of teams fighting for Europe and for safety. We are fighting at both ends and have to keep this consistency going.
"We still have a way to go when it comes to improving. Every game between now and the end of the season will drain us both physically and mentally."