Influential loanees Fabio Carvalho and Liam Delap are also no longer around, alongside attacking midfielder Ozan Tufan.

Speaking to fans at a question and answer session, Ilicali said that he is remaining calm with the window remaining open until 11pm on August 30.

He said: “My expectation is top 10, my hope is top six and improvement. I feel we are candidates, we will be strong on September 1.

“Don’t worry about the players, they are coming. They are good players, when I watch them I smile, they will make us happy.

“Later in August, you’ll see the players we own and love. Loan players will (also) come to help us.

“I can sign four loan players tomorrow, but I can’t find a player like Philogene now. I can do in the late hours of the window.

“Please give us credit for what we’ll do in August. The players we’re trying to sign now are permanent apart from one loan.

“I talk to so many players, we have a good CV. If another player is going to another club after a medical, I don’t care. There are more good players out there. Maybe a striker, centre-back and midfielder this week.

“For the last two days, I’ve been speaking to a young striker, high quality. We’re trying to bring him and pay him the money, we will spend it. We will spend on four or five players.”

So far this summer, City have brought in three senior signings in the shape of full-backs Ryan Giles and Cody Drameh and German midfielder Marvin Mehlem.

They have actively targeted a number of players, including Bristol City forward Tommy Conway, also wanted by Middlesbrough, Burnley and other Championship clubs – having previously lost out to Coventry City and Sheffield United in the race to sign strikers Brandon Thomas-Asante and Keiffer Moore.