KARL Robinson is happy to take a steady approach to building Oxford United – saying he would not want a huge injection of money all at once.

The head coach has been told there is room for investment this summer.

United have already paid a fee to bring in Joel Cooper, while they were also able to get a permanent deal for Matty Taylor over the line.

The next targets are being worked on, with Robinson keen for up to half a dozen more as he looks to improve the squad after the Sky Bet League One play-off final defeat last month.

Ordinarily, getting to Wembley would net a financial windfall for clubs, but under the coronavirus conditions it cost the U’s, who had to bring players back off furlough and test them twice a week.

They are expecting to lose Rob Dickie, which if it happens would be for a multi-million pound move, but Robinson has been encouraged by the tone of discussions with the board.

He said: “That’s all we ever want to hear as managers, supporters and even players that you sign – that there’s a sense of togetherness from the top.

“Even though we’ve lost out on money they’re not going to shy away from being aggressive in what we want to sign.”

However, even without the threat of a salary cap – whose vote has been postponed until tomorrow – Robinson says any investment needs to be smart.

He said: “We have to plan, we can’t just put extra money on top of our budget and all of a sudden we drag this or that player in.

“We’ll end up with the window when I first came in, when we were chasing our tail.

“We’ve got to make sure the players we get are ones we’ve studied and want to develop.”

In that context, one of Robinson’s priorities is on keeping head of recruitment Mark Thomas for a long spell.

He said: “We’re talking about contracts for people and I want his to run alongside mine, because he’s so valuable.

“He’s one of the hardest-working men I’ve ever worked with, he’s an incredible man and someone I believe this club has to build around.

“I’ve always said if you get your staff right and put faith in them, they are the people who are going to be here for eight or nine years while the players come and go.

“Then you have consistency on the type of player you’re bringing in.”