It would seem that Sunderland boss David Moyes will have to dig deep and make do with what he has in his attempt to claw the Black Cats out of trouble this season.
Clubchief executive Martin Bain has said that the club don't have any cash to spend in the January window, and are growing weary of spending for quick fixes that only turn around to hit them back.
Sunderland are developing quite the reputation for escaping relegation, but it appears to be a real job this time around, and they are no longer willing to make January purchases to help in that regard.
We are not going to be able to spend to get out of trouble," Bain toldSky Sports. "That is the loud and clear message.
The word is limited, I could probably say very limited with regards to the January transfer window.The club in recent years has reached a point where we can't keep having this short term fix because it just keeps comes back full circle.
Maybe in the past, and I don't want to talk disparagingly or single anyone at this moment of time, it is the big buys that come back and haunt you in many ways. If you get those wrong, it causes you an issue.
"In terms of this transfer window in January, we have reached a point where there has to be a time where you don't have that short-term hit to plug the holes in the dam."
Sunderland are £140m in debt in spite of the new TV deal, and have a wage bill of £73m while still making a loss.
Moyes, though, isn't prepared to walk away, despite the club's lack of financial clout.
Bain has also indicated that Sunderland won't be selling in January in order to ease the burden, with £15m-rated goalkeeper Jordan Pickford on the radar of several clubs.
We don't want to get into selling assets in the January transfer window," Bain added. "We don't want to be forcing David into a corner, just because of the situation that we have."