With Archie Thompson still injured and Ney Fabiano and Danny Allsopp no longer options, Victory are short of firepower but the coach is not about to bring in a face for the sake of it.

They have been looking for additions for some time but the club have yet to land their man.

"We want to be specific, we want a high-quality striker and we'll be patient to get what we want," Merrick told the Herald Sun.

"The club has provided the budget to sign someone and Melbourne Victory needs a good-quality striker to score goals and entertain the crowd.

"With the season being 30 games and the Asian Champions League to follow, if we take two extra weeks to get the right player it's not really going to matter. We want to make sure we get it right for the long-term, not just to cover for Archie."

Thompson isn't expected back until after Christmas.