"We have two lads on trial and we have a game behind closed doors on Wednesday which will give us a chance to have a look at them," reveals Alan.
"One, Tomasz Klos, is a Polish international centre back, and one, Stijn Vreven, is a player from Belgium, a right back or right sided midfielder, who is also playing in the Bundesliga.
"Both are well regarded in their own countries and we will have a good look at them.
"It is a situation where it wouldn't cost too much money to bring them to the club.
"We have done a fair bit of homework on them already and it will be nice to bring them here for a look; that makes it a lot easier to make the right decision."
Tomasz, born in Zgierz, joined Cologne in August on a free transfer from Kaiserslautern, where he had spent over three years, and he has also played for Auxerre.
He scored against Italy in November in a 3-1 win.
Stijn, born in Hasselt, is currently with Kaiserslautern where he has been since April, spent five seasons with Utrecht and has also played for Ghent, and both players have played in Europe with Kaiserslautern.
And has Alan's phone been buzzing now the transfer window is open?
"No it hasn't, surprisingly - and I am happy about that," he says.
"Obviously I am speaking to managers all the time but for most of them the players we have got here are out of their reach."