Motherwell transfer update as Graham Alexander targets one more signing in key area before window shuts

Motherwell manager Graham Alexander would like to add a defender to his squad before the end of the January transfer window.

The Steelmen have signed attacking midfielder Ross Tierney from League of Ireland side Bohemian and Celtic midfielder Liam Shaw on loan this month.

They have also made attacker Jordan Roberts' loan move from Hearts permanent until the end of the season.

Alexander's men sit fourth in the Premiership ahead of hosting Hibs on Wednesday night and while happy with his squad, a defender is what the Motherwell boss believes is needed in a push for European football.

He does have plenty of options in that area - including five centre-back's - but Alexander says injuries mean he will have to look to strengthen.

He explained: "We've been doing a lot of talking. I think if we can try and strengthen the squad, we will try and do that.

"There's a couple parts of the team that I feel we need to strengthen. Defensively, we need to look at our pool of players and see about adding to that.

"I still feel there are things to iron out and get better at. We've always got our eyes and ears open. We talk to a lot of people so that when players are available, we assess whether we can get them.

"We need to look at whether they are good enough. If we have the group of players we have now, we are happy, but I think we can push this squad even by 1%.

"Everyone talks about consistency at centre-back. It's fundamental to how a team plays and defends. It's been the most disrupted part of our team all season. There's been consistency in all the other positions."

Alexander says any new signings will not just be short-term fixes. Any fresh faces at Motherwell must be able to contribute more than just helping out this season.

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