And the Blues chief executive dismissed the notion it will be exclusively loans being looked at, when what is looking likely to be a critical window for Championship hopes opens on January 1.
Cullen confirmed there will once again an emphasis on paying fees to bring in new faces, as he acknowledged the importance of landing additions who can make an immediate impact on John Mousinho’s squad.
Pompey do have two spaces available for loans, in terms of the maximum five players who can be named in a matchday squad.
Cullen also still sees value in the international market, with Pompey exploring those avenues successfully in sporting director Rich Hughes’ time at Fratton Park.
‘Loans are an area where you can bring in someone to immediately impact the team with their availability, being up to speed and clubs willing to enable their players coming on loan.
But it’s not exclusive to that, because we’ll also be looking to see if there is an appetite for players we have been tracking to come in – and that club to release them for a fee.
‘There will be some players, like last season with a couple of players we recruited in January, whose contracts are coming to an end in June. They could be leaving on a free transfer, so the club are willing to do business with you. Owen Moxon would be an example of that situation.
‘Then there is the international market to look at, which we still feel provides us with excellent value.
‘You pay a premium for English players – and we have one slot in terms of exemptions available to us unless we bring in an established international who qualifies under the GBE (governing body endorsement) rules.
‘So it’s a mix of different strands in January. Yes, loans are one component as Eric (Eisner) did say, but there are also other areas we want to go in.’
Cullen did acknowledge the challenges the January window will once again offer Pompey, with there likely the need to be patient to get the additions who can make a difference this term.
He added: ‘January is a different window, but the discussion over player recruitment never stops.
‘A window is just that – it’s a window when you can trade. You don’t start doing your business on January 1 or beginning of June.
‘You don’t just wait for the window to close, have your glass of wine and wait for next January. It’s a constant, ongoing process but the dynamics of this window are very different.
‘You go into the summer window with a huge number of players out of contract and know they will be out of contract well before the season ends.
‘Some of the discussions will be going on with intermediaries saying that we like that player.
You are also looking at players who become available in the summer after promotion, relegation or if there’s an appetite from clubs to trade.
‘In January, you don’t have the dynamic of a players being out of contract unless they are free agents and their contracts are paid up.
‘You also have what we experienced last January, when we strengthened the squad and made investments we felt would get us over the line.
‘The players weren’t available until the back end of the window. Myles Peart-Harris was an example, where he was available but Brentford wanted him for the FA Cup.’
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