Bristol City linked with West Bromwich Albion head of recruitment as Robins consider new transfers chief

Bristol City have been linked with a move to recruit West Bromwich Albion’s head of recruitment Ian Pearce.

The Sun reports that chairman Jon Lansdown wishes to revamp the recruitment department in BS3 and has targeted the Baggies transfers guru to come into Ashton Gate.

The Robins have head of technical recruitment Sean Gilhespy in situ currently and considered appointing another senior recruitment head last summer, only to later decide that Nigel Pearson would be able to suffice with just Gilhespy and his team of analysts helping.

Bristol World understands that Pearce’s position at West Brom is not on stable ground after sporting and technical director Luke Dowling left the Midlands club by mutual consent last summer.

Pearce is believed to be keen on a new challenge and the Robins could be just the club for someone to make their mark, as the West Country side look to build towards making the top six in the near future.

The report says that ‘Lansdown reckons Bristol City, lying 17th in the Championship, are underachieving in a transitional season under Nigel Pearson. Recruitment is an area that the hierarchy wants to improve.’

Pearce, 47, was formerly a scout for Brighton from 2014, joining the Baggies four years later. He has also undertaken match analysis for Fulham.

The former centre-back played for Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and Fulham, as well as making 145 appearances in total for the Hammers. The former England U21 player’s career included 245 league appearances, stretching between 1991 and 2012.

City boss Pearson explained previously how the club operates in the transfer market, with CEO Richard Gould joining the club last summer and taking over contract negotiation and the dealing with players’ agents.

“We have a recruitment department that is actually very, very good,” explained Pearson on Geoff Twentyman’s Sound of the City radio programme last summer.

“I’ve been working very closely with a number of the staff we have in at the football club and we have a very good technical scouting system... You’ve used the word filter yourself and it’s very important that we do that.

“I think what’s really important to point out is that I’m a part of the team myself. It’s important that everybody knows where they sit in an organisation.

“It’s not about control or having too much power, it’s about being part of a team which is able to come to decisions which are made through a very visible process. What I mean by that is that what we can’t do is invest money in players coming into the club if there’s not due diligence over players,” he said.

And Pearson also reflected last month on previously working under Steve Walsh at Leicester City previously.

Walsh was head of recruitment with the Foxes and had been rumoured to be of interest to the Robins, along with former recruitment specialist Rob Mackenzie.

“Steve [Walsh] there was my assistant manager and head of recruitment. I’m very, very careful not to paint a picture... I’ve worked in so many different configurations of what clubs look like,” said Pearson ahead of facing Fulham last month.

“I am portrayed as somebody who is very rigid in my thinking but, actually, I’ve worked for so many different clubs in different formats and I can work in any sort of format, really.

“Bottom line is there has to be clarity of who does what; who’s responsible for what and responsibility also carries a weight of accountability. And as long as that is clear, I don’t really mind.

“I took this job on knowing exactly where we were and how difficult a job it was going to be, so when we do get it right it will be a very rewarding situation.

“One of the things that we have to do in the short-term is to stabilise our situation as a football club and make sure we have a positive second half to the season; whether that’s with new players or not, we’ll see,” added the manager.

Bristol City face Middlesbrough on Saturday, with Pearson having explained in the pre-match press conference that the following summer’s transfer window will be an important one.