The Walsall-born gaffer, who only has Jon Guthrie and under-23s defender Dan Vann available in the centre of the backline, has been working to add to his squad for several weeks and believes that players will be made available as the 2018 FIFA World Cup has now come to an end.
Speaking via the Express & Star, Dean, who recently ruled out a move for ex-Wrexham defender Olly Marx, said; "We know it’s something we have to address. We were looking for a centre-back anyway and then we get the terrible news about Kory. We need to address it sooner rather than a later.
"We have got one or two things out there and I think things will open up a bit more now. There are players out there who have been going to the gym and training by doing their own thing – but now everyone else has reported back. They’ll be movement on that side and with the World Cup over, a lot of the under-23 players will now be available. We have got a couple we have looked at for loans."