For the first time in 17 years David Moyes will be able to spend Christmas with his family, so don’t be surprised to see him at a football match on Boxing Day. If he does go, it won’t just be for fun either: the Real Sociedad manager admits that he intends to go into the winter transfer market and that he will be looking closely at the Premier League to see if he can bring in players.

Real Sociedad host Real Oviedo in the Copa del Rey round-of-16 second leg on Wednesday night having drawn 0-0 away to the Segunda División B team. Sociedad then play Levante at the weekend, their last game before the Christmas break, returning to take on Barcelona in the first weekend of January.

The Scot insists that his team is taking a step in the “right direction” but admitted that he has been concerned by the drop in energy levels in the second half of games. Moyes intends to return to England over the break and will use the time to work on improving his side’s fitness and also to look at targets, although he accepts that the likelihood is that la Real will only commit to loan moves for the time being.

Moyes has only taken charge of five games – one win, three draws and one defeat – and is still in the process of analysing and assessing his squad, identifying the imbalances within it, but he has been told that he will be able to make signings. The president, Jokin Aperribay, has also insisted that the priority is to improve the performances of those already within the squad, however. A central midfielder and a forward are among the positions la Real will seek to strengthen.

“I hope to [bring players in],” Moyes said. “The president has been very good with me and he is going to let me see what I can do. But I am still assessing [my squad]. My intention is maybe going into the loan market and bring in a couple of players. I don’t think I’m going to be going out and spending big money but if I can boost the squad and give everybody a lift then I will try to do that.

“January is never the best [time] but if there are boys who could come here and help the team and we can have a look at them for six months then we’ll do that,” he continued. Asked if that meant turning to the Premier League, Moyes replied: “Obviously, I know the British market.

“I will work together with Loren [Juarros], the sporting director. I will take the advice from him because I don’t know the Spanish market well enough, just as when it comes to the British market I will know better. If he tells me there are a couple of good loans in Spain [we’ll look at that] and I know Britain and Europe. So what we will do is look at that and see what is available.

“We will work on it together but when it comes to the final verdict, I will be the one who makes that decision. I will have the final say.”

“I have always been an advocate of the winter break,” Moyes added. “If you play in the Premier League you have to accept that football is played over the Christmas and new year period but I think we should have a break after the first game in January, maybe after the FA Cup. That’s when people have the least amount of cash in their pocket and when the players have just made a huge effort over Christmas so I have always thought that two weeks then would be ideal for British clubs.”

“It is a different scenario here. It will be the first Christmas I have had with my family … so on Boxing Day I’ll probably be watching a game somewhere.”