Joey Barton boosted as Ryan Taylor and Ross Wallace train with Fleetwood

Winger Wallace, 33, played alongside Town’s first-team coach Barry Nicholson and head of sports science Youl Mawene at Preston North End.

The winger has left Championship side Sheffield Wednesday and has also been training with Town.

The transfer window may be closed but clubs can still sign out-of-contract players.

And for Barton it is a case of the those who have played at a higher level enhancing the training at his club. But as for signings, he says it is a case of wait and see.

And the Town boss was also pleased to end the transfer window with his star players still on the books.

Town loaned Jack Sowerby to Carlisle and Joe Maguire to Crawley, while rumoured late interest from Scottish club Hibernian in defender Cian Bolger came to nothing.

And Barton would not rule out signing Taylor or Wallace. He said: “Both out of contract, both good players. I played with Tayls at Newcastle, so I know his qualities.

“We have just got them in, and I think that if you have players who have played in the leagues above in training, then they bring the level up.

“If they show a desire to be here and we think it is an upgrade on what we have got, then we will explore that.

“The same with Wes Hoolahan. We had Wes in, a similar kind of thing.

“If you can improve your team you have to. If you are not moving forwards in this game you are moving backwards.”

Sowerby made his Carlisle debut off the bench in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by Mansfield.

The Cumbrians’ manager John Sheridan was a fan of the versatile midfielder during his four-month stint as Higbhury boss least season.

Carlisle’s other Town loanee Ashley Nadesan also came off the bench and Sheridan said of Sowerby: “He’s got a good engine and gets around the pitch. He will push people and can fill a few areas.”

Left-back Maguire is targeting regular games at Crawley after failing to cement a spot at Town since his move from Liverpool in January last year.

He said: “I think it is time in my career to go to the next level and get football week in, week out.”