Tony Mowbray believes getting the best out of the options at his disposal will be more important than ever given the uncertainty over his budget for next season.

The Rovers boss is yet to learn how much money will be made available by owners Venky’s, which will likely be impacted by Covid-19.

Mowbray’s recruitment team have drawn up lists of targets, but a lack of clarity over what his budget will be means potential moves, as well as contract decisions, are on hold.

Six senior players see their deals expire at the end of the season, while Christian Walton and Tosin Adarabioyo returning to their parent clubs will leave holes in Mowbray’s squad.

But the manager believes a more possession-based style will be just as key to Rovers’ improvement as new additions.

He said: “You have to try and improve the squad at every opportunity, that might be difficult this summer financially, we still haven’t got an indication of whether we’re going to have funds or not.

“If we don’t have funds I have to improve this group of players.

“We’ve talked about the style change and if you look at statistics, the teams in the top six in the Premier League and the Championship, where are the possession-based teams, generally they’re right at the top.

“The teams who have the most possession, the most shots, the most crosses, they’re the teams at the top I would suggest.

“My mind when I prepare to play Leeds, West Brom, Brentford, Fulham, their possession stats are really high. Generally the teams at the top are the team with the ball.

“We’re trying to develop a team, and I think the signs are there, bar Leeds who are the top team in the division, we’re having more possession than we might have had in League One, but definitely last year.

“I see it as a journey that if you are a team that wants to get to the Premier League you have to have more of the ball and create more chances.

“That’s the journey we’re on.”

Rovers welcome West Brom to Ewood Park today, the Baggies looking on course for promotion back to the Premier League after missing out in last season’s play-offs.

League leaders Leeds also lost out in last season’s semi-finals, with two relegated Premier League sides in Fulham and Cardiff also in the current top six.

Brentford, 11th last season, have climbed from 11th up to third, with Forest making the jump from ninth to fifth, and Mowbray admits if Rovers are to miss out on the play-offs this season, their aim has to be to build towards next season.

After promotion from League One in 2017/18, Rovers finished 15th last season, with 60 points, and a positive result against West Brom today will see them equal, or surpass, that total with three games remaining.

But Mowbray is already foreseeing a difficult league next time around, particularly with the teams coming down from the Premier League.

“You can judge next season already if we’re a Championship team. Norwich are coming down it looks like, is it Aston Villa and Bournemouth? How strong will they be?” he added.

“When I was manager at West Brom we went up, came down, and went back up again because they kept the players, didn’t overspend, fill the team with £120million worth of players on astronomical salaries that they couldn’t afford.

“They were so strong in the Championship, they were called Boing Boing Baggies because they were going up and down, they weren’t spending any money when they got there, yet that same team wasn’t quite good enough.

“Eventually when players have had a season or two there they can adapt because they get used to it and they stay there like West Brom.

“How will next year look? I don’t know, we just have to look after ourselves and be better, stronger, win the games we believe we can win, find better consistency.”