Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson makes ‘progression’ vow as Sunderland and Southampton close on signings

Bristol City have already made a positive start to their summer recruitment after Nigel Pearson completed the signings of Queens Park Rangers defender Rob Dickie and Aberdeen midfielder Ross McCrorie.

Both players joined the Robins earlier this week and Pearson will hope to continue adding to his squad over the remainder of the summer as he looks to improve on last season’s bottom-half finish in the Championship. Talented midfielder Alex Scott is continuing to attract attention but Pearson will hope to secure a significant portion of any fee the club receive for the England Under-20 star.

The City boss has spoken of his desire to add further additions and ensure academy products also have a chance to progress, saying: “I think for us it’s about trying to get the balance right between promoting young homegrown players and also making sure we have players within the squad with know-how as well who can enable the side to make further progression. We really want to be pushing right into the top-half over the next season.”

As the Robins await their next move in the market, several of their Championship rivals are hoping to make progress in their attempts to boost their own squads before the new season gets underway in August.

Southampton will look to bounce back from their relegation from the Premier League and their initial priority will be appointing Swansea City manager Russell Martin as their new boss. The former Norwich City and Scotland defender is expected to be named this week and journalist Alan Nixon has revealed he will make an immediate return to his old club by launching moves for Swans duo Matt Grimes and Jay Fulton.

Leicester City’s own preparations for life back in the Championship may well be focused on how many of their big names can be retained. Belgian star Youri Tielemans has already agreed a move to Aston Villa and he could be joined in heading for the exit by James Maddison after Sky Sports reported Newcastle United are currently leading Tottenham Hotspur in the race for the England midfielder.

Coventry City will be looking to move on from their play-off final defeat at the hands of Luton Town when the new campaign gets underway. But the Sky Blues are reportedly set to suffer further disappointment as Mark Robins looks increasingly likely to miss out on the permanent signing of Nottingham Forest defender Jonathan Panzo.

The former Chelsea academy player spent last season with the Sky Blues and Robins was said to be keen to convert that into a permanent deal - but the Daily Record have reported Panzo is in ‘advanced talks’ over a move to Scottish Premiership giants Rangers.

There was a double boost for Sunderland after they handed an extended deal to defender Trai Hume and agreed a move for Central Coast Mariners centre-back Nectarios Triantis. Hume impressed during his first season at the Stadium of Light and his form was rewarded with a maiden call-up to the Northern Ireland squad.