Scarlets chief Stuart Gallacher says they may have to look overseas

The Scarlets are almost certainly out of the Heineken Cup running having lost all three of their matches so far and are also out of the EDF Energy Cup.

"Every year you have to freshen up your squad, this coming summer we have to freshen it up with not just numbers but with quality," Gallacher told the BBC.

"You need a big, strong squad in depth and we've not got that at the moment."

Gallacher says he is keen to promote from within the Scarlets academy ranks, but admits that realistically they may have to look overseas for the quality of players needed.

Although the Scarlets backline has produced some fine attacking rugby, the front five has looked under-powered in the big encounters.

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"Quality costs... more and more overseas players will be looking to come into the northern hemisphere game," added Gallacher, speaking to BBC Sport Wales' Scrum V on the Radio programme.

"We do try and develop our own and that's where our focus is as well, but you do need at the very top end 26 or 27 quality players to carry you through and make you competitive.

"We've got key players who if they're missing really effect the team.

"It's my job now with (director of rugby) Phil Davies to build another Scarlets team.

"We've built three - (former head coach) Gareth Jenkins and I - in 10 or 12 years and now we're going to build another one."

Much of the Scarlets' finance has been directed at ensuring a new �23.1m stadium home can be built at Pemberton, allowing the region to quit its aging Stradey Park home.

"That's taken everybody's work, concentration and of course money," Gallacher said.

"We were determined to put the horse before the cart.

"People said that without a team we were nothing, but that team last year won seven games on the trot in Europe.

"We looked at strengthening, and we did, but obviously we haven't got the strength-in-depth of the top four or five teams in Europe."