Wanderers fans should know within a month whether Jay-Jay Okocha and Youri Djorkaeff will be among the star attractions on view at the Reebok next season.

Sam Allardyce revealed today that he is planning to open talks with all his out-of-contract players in the next two weeks and intends having all his negotiations wrapped up before the final fixture at home to Fulham on May 15.

He is determined to devote as much time as possible to the task of recruiting the eight new players he needs to continue his season-on-season progress in the Premiership and does not want issues with his current squad of players dragging on into the summer.

But he is confident he will not pay through the nose for his impatience.

Allardyce believes Wanderers will have the upper hand in negotiations, because out-of-contract players are becoming increasingly anxious as they wait to hear what the future holds.

"A lot of our players are concerned that their contracts are at an end, like so many players in this country and elsewhere," he said. "Negotiations are not in their favour any more, as they used to be.

"So we are moving when we are ready, offering when we are ready and negotiating when we are ready."

The futures of Okocha and Djorkaeff have been the subject of speculation for months but six other members of the senior squad have deals which expire this summer - Bruno N'Gotty, Per Frandsen, Emerson Thome, Kevin Poole, Steve Howey and Ibrahim Ba. Donovan Ricketts and Javi Moreno hev loan deals, which may be renegotiated.

"We will talk in the next two weeks to everybody," the manager said. "Between now and the end of the season we will have talked to every player's representatives and come to a conclusion by the Fulham game.

"That will leave me clear to focus on the ones I want to bring in."

Allardyce has eight specific targets in mind but cannot predict whether he will be able to secure any new signings before the European Championships get under way in June.

"We'll still be very lucky if we manage to pull two out of the eight names we have in mind at the first attempt. Nevertheless, we need to get players in place early to give us a good start next season.

"If we can start with 80 per cent of the squad we need, we'll have a good start, guaranteed; if we start with only 60 per cent, we'll have a bad start, guaranteed."