Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock has challenged owner Vincent Tan to fund a promotion bid in 2017-18.
The Bluebirds boss is keen for a record eighth career promotion and wants to use the rest of the season to convince Tan to give him financial backing.
Cardiff are 18th in the table and 20 points adrift of the 50 Warnock believes will guarantee survival.
"I said to Vincent we need three or four quality players, if you want to challenge that is," he said.
"If you don't want to challenge, obviously you can get somebody else in and you can go with what you want to go with. It's one of those things."
Warnock met Tan for the first time in his reign following the win at Bristol City.
He said: "I have to show Vincent I am the one he should support to have a go [for promotion].
"That is what my job is between now and the end of the season to try and convince him he will not have a better chance. Then it is up to him and the board to decide."
He added: "It was not about definitive answers it was about having a chat really about the way he felt about the club.
"I would not want to be anywhere and pick my money up if I have not got a chance of promotion, not at my age now.
"About 20 years ago I probably would have loved to have been anywhere for two or three years. But not now.
"I want to have a go next year and Vincent knows that.
"We have had a friendly chat. I am not going to throw money away now in January when I think it would be silly to get people in place now when you might not want to put them in place in the summer."
Scotland goalkeeper Alan McGregor, signed on loan from Hull City, will make his debut as Cardiff take on visitors Burton Albion on Saturday, a club Warnock managed in the early 1980s.
Cardiff are still keen on Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes while Warnock said former England striker Ricky Lambert would not go out on loan and Rhys Healey, recently returned from a loan at Newport County, would also be staying at Cardiff.
BBC Sport
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38688105