Bristol City boss doesn’t envisage club ‘spending any money’ as summer transfer plans outlined

Nigel Pearson predicts the current position of Bristol City will not see them not spend any money when the summer transfer window opens.

With six games left of the Championship season and the second tier status all but secured, attention outside of the football club has already turned to the plans for next season.

But fans hopeful of the club getting the cheque book out, will have their expectations lowered with the Robins not expected to spend heavily.

That situation could change should there be any lucrative offers come in for their players, but instead Pearson and his recruitment staff could be forced to explore the loans and free agent market.

In his pre-match press conference ahead of a home match against Peterborough, Pearson said: “We have intentions to strengthen the squad. We’re not going to be spending. As it stands at the moment, I can’t see us spending any money.

“We are still trying to keep our best players. What I’m not going to do is change players for the sake of it.

“If we bring players in I want them to be better than what we have got.

“I have managed teams with a transfer embargo, teams that have been totally skint. I’ve never really spent a great deal on players.

“I think the most I’ve spent was when I was in the Premier League and that was eight million, which is not a lot in the Premier League.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s all about cutting your cloth accordingly. We are in the situation that we are in the football club and if we need to be creative, we will be creative.”

Whilst there is a desire to see new players come through the door, there is still a core squad of players that are contracted beyond this summer.

But there are still a few players that are fighting for their futures, with their contracts up at the end of the season.

Centre-back Timm Klose, who has started every game since joining on a free transfer in January, only penned a six-month deal and is one player who is fighting to stay at the club.

Andy King and Callum O’Dowda, who had recently been sidelined, are out of contract at the end of the season, but have made a return to training.

King has been out with a hamstring injury since January, which has made him absent for 13 games, whilst O’Dowda injured his knee against Reading, which has seen him miss the last nine matches.

With only six games remaining in the season, their opportunity to enhance their prospects of a new deal are becoming less and less as games go on.

But the City boss says that whilst there may be a decision on their long-term futures already, there is always the possibility that it can be changed.

“I wouldn’t use this as a forum to tell people what the situation is if I haven’t spoken to them individually,” said Pearson.

“There is still time this season for decisions to be tweaked or changed. If players are out of contract and they get opportunities to play then clearly they’ve always got a chance to make a difference.”