With Joe Cole playing a full 90 minutes against Leicester reserves on Tuesday night, and Steve Lomas back in the first team frame after nearly a year, Paul is also optimistic that Fredi Kanoute and Nigel Winterburn, who both missed the Charlton match with hamstring injuries sustained at the weekend, will be back sooner rather than later.
"We need a squad of players to be able to cause competition and rotate, or at least fill in for each other when there are injuries," says Paul.
"Joe got 90 minutes in the reserves and it was definitely a bonus to get him back again; he got a taste the other night at Charlton, and we want him back firing on all cylinders."
Although he wasn't scheduled to play the entire reserve game at Upton Park - the game was switched there to accommodate fans wanting to go along and watch him - Paul says:
"He wanted to play a full 90; Joe is much happier playing games like that than trying to do it in training."
Steve Lomas did not take part in that game, and Paul explains:
"There is nothing like three or four first team games to get Steve really fully fit, but to play full games would be difficult for him at the moment.
"But adrenalin is a strange thing and he plays with that; he needs to get that buzz to play so getting the half hour he got the other night was better than a game in the reserves."
As for Fredi and Nigel, Paul adds:
"He was in my session when he did it, and it was a strange one; he went up to try to do quite an an elaborate back heel to someone and he felt it then as it cramped up on him.
"The next day he was a lot happier with it, but time will tell.
"Nigel has a similar problem, but he didn't do his trying to do a back heel!
"He must be very disappointed because he has been able to train as hard as he has done for a while he in the break day, but it went on him the day before the Charlton game."
Also back on the injured list is Gary Charles, who pulled a hamstring in Tuesday after setting up one of Richard Garcia's goals.
"Gary has had a catalogue of calf and hamstring injuries and unfortunately he broke down again in the reserves on Tuesday night," says Paul.
"I haven't spoken to the physios on that but the last few times he has done it he has had to have quite a long time off."
Meanwhile on the transfer front, Paul says a tentative call was made concerning Ipswich defender Jamie Clapham, but that he does not necessarily expect anything to come of it.
"There have been a few enquiries recently and Glenn has been working very hard on a few different cases, so we are hopeful - although I can't see anything happening in the near future," says Paul.
"Jamie was one of the people whose availability we had enquired about and were told 'no' at that time, then we were given another phone call to say he would be available.
"Really that is it now, and we are waiting on a few other developments to decide which direction we are going in."
"The wallet is very small and Glenn has to do a little bit of wheeling and dealing to sort things out."