WANDERERS have seen a loan move for Swansea City striker Marvin Emnes collapse but are still hopeful a new striker will be on board by the time they face Brighton this weekend.

Neil Lennon was confident of landing the Dutch front man after bringing him to the North West for talks on Monday.

Both clubs had been preparing to announce the deal the following day but were forced to abandon their plans after the 27-year-old had a late change of heart, sparked by a financial disagreement with the player’s representatives.

Wanderers then enquired about West Brom striker Victor Anichebe but were told that the Nigeria international wants to stay at the Hawthorns.

But last night the club were working away on a third deal, with Neil Lennon admitting attacking reinforcements are an absolute must ahead of the Seagulls visit to the Macron Stadium on Saturday.

“We simply don’t have enough options with Emile Heskey and Zach Clough out injured,” he said. “We’re trying our hardest to get something sorted but it isn’t as easy as you’d think sometimes.”

Although Lennon is looking to supplement his front line he insists he has not lost faith in summer signing Gary Madine getting off the mark.

“You can see he’s starting to lose a little bit of confidence in himself because he’s not scoring but the first five or six games he was leading the line very well,” he said of the former Sheffield Wednesday man.

“He needs to keep believing in himself and we need to persevere until he comes good because we think he will.”

Lennon, who could bring Max Clayton back into his squad at the weekend for the first time since last December, looks set to resist calls from fans to promote from within, arguing that Under-21 stars Jamie Thomas and Kaiyne Woolery still have to develop before their exciting talent will be set free on the senior stage.

“I don’t think it’s the time to be blooding young players,” he told a BBC radio Manchester phone-in. “Some of them are not ready anyway.

“Max Clayton will make a difference to us but it’s important we bring in another attacking player to add to what we have.

“They (Woolery and Thomas) have a bit to do yet. Physically they need to do a little bit more but they’ve been around the first team training since the start of the season so we’ve got high hopes for the two of them.”