SAM Allardyce is banking on a £10million transfer chest to prepare Wanderers for another assault on Europe.

That is the bare minimum the Whites boss reckons it will take just to stand still in a Premiership awash with cash from the new £2.7billion TV deal.

And he is only working on the basis that Wanderers will be playing in the UEFA Cup - and not the Champions League.

Allardyce says he will need to increase his current squad by at least four, but could be revising his assessment if Bolton win at Arsenal tomorrow and go on to claim a top-four finish. He fears the new TV deal, which kicks off in August and will guarantee every top flight club a minimum £30m a year, will bring unprecedented pressure on managers.

Although experience has taught him not to expect miracles, he says it is essential Wanderers are not left behind in the investment stakes as the Premiership - which he already regards as the best league in the world - gets wealthier and more powerful.

"I hope I'll be touching the £10m spot again, at least," he said, making a mental check of his summer wish list. "If we want to maintain what we've done, it's going to take that much, certainly with the players who will be leaving us and with the UEFA Cup to plan for.

"Our squad, at the moment, is four players short of a UEFA Cup squad - and we're faced with an African Nations Cup next year."