Tony Mowbray revealed owners Venky’s were keen to finance permanent signings in January and it was his decision not to splash the cash.

Rovers failed to add to their squad before yesterday’s 11pm deadline, with Harry Chapman the only arrival of the winter window.

Mowbray had been keen to bring in a striker to supplement 33-year-old Danny Graham but branded the salary levels quoted to Rovers for prospective targets, for both loan and permanent deals, as ‘ridiculous’.

While the club’s owners were happy to add, with Rovers three points outside the Championship play-off spots, Mowbray has faith in his current group.

“I’ve had conversations with the owners, I spoke on Thursday with them, and they wanted us to sign some players,” Mowbray told the Lancashire Telegraph.

“I was trying to explain that’s it’s not just as simple as going and signing some players.

“There is money left in the budget and you have a yearly budget and you either spend it or you don’t spend it.

“What I do feel is their support, they want us to keep pushing the club forward. It’s really encouraging to listen to the language they use regarding the club as a family and we’re trying to move forward and they will try and be supportive of us.

“Hopefully they feel the honesty and integrity we’re trying to do it with and if we can’t find the right players then we aren’t going to spend the money in the wrong areas.

“If we don’t spend it then we will save it for the next window. I hope, and I’ve always said, that if they can see progress and the team fighting and working hard and looking upwards and pushing on, then they (Venky’s) would be supportive and there will be funds there.

“I like to have a budget that I can stick to and work to. I feel as if we can continue to show we’re a team that can be competitive in this league and the funding will be there to try and push us that extra yard.”

Rovers had looked to bring Sam Gallagher back on loan from Southampton, but his parent club were unwilling to let him leave with the 23-year-old part of the plans under new boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.

On the links to Middlesbrough striker Britt Assombalonga, Mowbray said: “No. Basically because he’s someone we could not afford.”

The club had chased both permanent and loan recruits but Mowbray wasn’t prepared to pay the salary levels required from other clubs.

In the end, Chapman’s arrival on Monday for an undisclosed fee from Middlesbrough proved to be the only incoming, while Paul Downing was the only senior player allowed to leave in what was a quiet January window at Ewood Park.

Mowbray added: “The deals we would have liked to have done have proven way, way, way too expensive. We’ve been quoted ridiculous salary levels and amount of money for players that we wouldn’t value at those numbers.

“I’m fine, I don’t sit here frustrated. The team are doing okay and any player would have to be a good one to get in our team at the moment.

“My expectation and hope is that this current group of players keep working as hard as they are to win football matches and stick together and see where this season takes us.”