New Rotherham United boss Leam Richardson's plan for the January transfer window

The 44-year-old took over as head coach on Monday and is targeting New Year recruits in a bid to help lift the Millers off the foot of the table.

“We find ourselves in the position that we're in,” he told the Advertiser. “It's important that we're actively trying to be a better version of ourselves while also maintaining the strengths we already have.

“All clubs look to improve, whether it's in January or the summer. This January will be no different for us.”

Richardson, who has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at AESSEAL New York Stadium, believes it will take more than one period of trading to build the kind of team he wants to assemble.

“I’ve got ideas about how I want to play,” he said. “That won’t happen overnight. It will also take one or two transfer windows.”

His appointment brings to an end a month-long search for a successor to Matt Taylor and the new leader arrives with plenty of experience of the second tier.

He had two Championship years as number two to Paul Cook at Wigan Athletic and then another half a season there in the top role himself after leading them to the League One title when they pipped the second-placed Millers to the crown in 2022.

The former Accrington Stanley full-back lost his job as off-field issues left the Latics in crisis. He had been out of the game for 13 months and had turned down a number of chances to return before accepting the survival challenge with Rotherham.

“I've been very pleased, very humbled by the opportunities I have been offered, but there were some I couldn't accept and give my attention to for personal reasons,” he said.

“It comes to a point, though, where the love of football and the tingles down your spine start to kick in again. When the opportunity that matches your aspirations comes you can't ignore it.”

The amount of time between Taylor's departure and Richardson's arrival caused unrest among supporters as the gap to safety began to widen.

“We understand that frustration,” said Rotherham's chief operating officer, Paul Douglas. "But at the same time we wanted to make sure we got the right person.

“We've had some first-class candidates apply for the job. We've done a lot of work ensuring we worked through that list and talked to as many people as we felt were the right types.

“Ultimately, we settled on Leam as the right man for the job. It has taken longer than we perhaps anticipated, but that's finished now and we can look forward, hopefully, to a period of continuity with Leam and, hopefully, some success.”