DEAN Ryan says there are holes in his Dragons squad that need filling but that he won't panic buy with his small budget.

The Rodney Parade region have brought in just two senior players for 2019/20,

fly-half Sam Davies

and loosehead Jack Cosgrove, along with prospect James McCarthy, a wing/full-back from Newport who has returned from Munster on a development contract.

The Dragons are operating with a meagre budget and have little room for manoeuvre in the transfer market with Ryan planning to bide his time and look at what he has available.

The region is light on outside backs and may try to add some depth but the director of rugby, who is confident of a positive outcome soon over contract renegotiations with stalwart prop Brok Harris, won't be rushed.

"We've not got a huge pot of money that we haven't spent but it's about doing what we thing is right at this time of year, and there's not a huge amount around at this time of year that is right," said the former Bristol, Gloucester and Worcester boss.

"We've got some holes to fill because we are at risk of not getting 23 out if we pick up some injuries, so those will be the priority decisions.

"But everything outside those two or three positions, we are looking for something that makes us stronger in the future. Sam Davies was huge for that and we will wait to see if there is anything else of that potential.

"It's June so it's different to find people that link up to that, (you have to think) is this the right decision to us?

"There are some outside backs (out there) and interestingly there are quite a few people who haven't got contracts, so we will work that through in the next couple of weeks."

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The Dragons return for their first block of pre-season training today with Ryan ready to get the thoughts of the first team squad on how they can make strides.

The director of rugby will encourage his new charges to come out of their shells.

"It will be a while until we get near rugby and I need to get talking, and from what I have heard they are not a great group at talking," he said.

"I will give them permission to have a view on things! Then we will work out how we move forward from there.

"I've not met many of them but I am told that they are quite a quiet group and I am keen to get them talking and listen to what they have got to say.

"There are a number of things that we just need to start getting consistently right. Having been in these situations before, just because you get them right doesn't necessarily change the results (straight away) but do it consistently and it starts to build towards something.

"We've got to manage some of the external perception that everything is going to change around in a short space of time, we've just got to do the right things consistently well and then it will start to move."

The Dragons will be without their five-strong Wales World Cup contingent this summer but Ryan has already introduced himself to captain and lock Cory Hill, hooker Elliot Dee, tighthead Leon Brown and back row forwards Ross Moriarty and Aaron Wainwright.

"I met with the lads in the Welsh camp to say hello," he said. "I didn't want to arrive, start and then not see them until October or November.

"Hopefully we can get them along today as well so that we can all start in the same place, even though we go in different directions for a few months.

"They are integral to anything we are doing here, both in content of what we are doing and emotion of what we are doing, but they have a big challenge facing them over the coming months."