JUSSI Jaaskelainen insists Wanderers can lose Gary Cahill next month and still fight their way to Premier League survival.

Chelsea should wrap up a £7million deal for the England international in the first week of January, giving Owen Coyle ample time to spend the cash on some muchneeded reinforcements.

And while Jaaskelainen concedes that it will be hard to see Cahill leave for Stamford Bridge, the Big Finn has thrown his backing behind David Wheater as the right man to plug the gap left by his departure.

“It would be a massive blow to lose Gary,” he said. “He is a great player and a great asset for the club. Unfortunately, his contract is running out. Whatever happens, happens, but hopefully it’s the best for him.

“Wheater played well before he was suspended and we have to believe we have got good enough players to turn this thing around.

“I personally think the squad is strong enough as long as we stop those mistakes we have been making at the moment.”

Jaaskelainen has witnessed his fair share of relegation fights at the Reebok, and was there to see Owen Coyle lift the club out of the mire two years ago after his arrival from Burnley.

But the 36-year-old stopper reckons his manager could have a tougher task on his hands to save the Whites this time if the defensive mistakes so evident against Newcastle on Boxing Day continue to occur. And he accepts that things must improve dramatically in the next two games – at home to Wolves on Saturday and at Everton next Wednesday.

“Our situation is different (this time),” he said. “We’ve got four or five players missing from last season; a couple of key players are injured, a couple went away. In our squad, you want your best players fit and playing.

That’s just one excuse. The players coming in have got to do a better job.

“We only have two clean sheets and that's not enough. Ideally, you want to build on clean sheets and hopefully nick a goal from someone else’s mistakes.

“It’s going the opposite way at the moment. We are the ones making mistakes and eventually the ball ends up in the net.

“We need to get two or three wins on the bounce. If you look at the Wolves game it is massive, as is the game at Everton the week after because we have got the big teams coming up. So, the next two games are crucial.”

All of Wanderers’ four victories this season came after they had scored the first goal, but Jaaskelainen believes success against Wolves could depend on his side’s reaction if they concede.

“Everyone knows it’s important to get the first goal in the Premier League,” he said, “But it’s more important to be keeping clean sheets and being solid.

“Fulham scored two goals in two minutes against us, and it was the same against Newcastle. And that can’t be allowed. If the other team score you have to have a more positive response.”