Bristol City stance on three players out of contract this summer outlined

Nigel Pearson says he is undecided on the futures of two to three Bristol City players as they fight for their future in the remainder of the season.

The Robins have given new contracts to George Tanner, Max O’Leary and Nahki Wells over the last few months, but there are still some players whose futures are still yet uncertain. Andy King, Jay Dasilva, Tomas Kalas and Zak Vyner are first-team players whose deals expire in the summer.

City have a one-year clause in Vyner’s contracts, and are in discussions with the defender as they want him to remain, but as of yet no further steps have been made. He is a contender for the Player of the Season award, despite looking likely to leave Ashton Gate last summer.

King meanwhile is in to his first season as a player-coach, and is undecided about whether to retire in the summer. Former Chelsea prospect Dasilva however looked set to leave the club in January, but AFC Wimbledon’s reluctance to sell Jack Currie, meant a proposed move to Coventry City did not take place.

“There’s only question marks over two or three players,” he said when asked about plans for the summer.

“Discussions are ongoing, outside of that this will be the first summer since I’ve been here that we’ve not got a lot of players out of contract so I would expect this summer to be more of a positive summer in terms of us adding to what we’ve already got rather than replacing departures, for want of a better term.”

Josh Owers, James Morton and Owura Edwards are also out-of-contract, and are currently spending time away from the club. Taylor Moore - who was signed several years ago for more than a million - is out-of-contract and is currently with Shrewsbury but is all but certain to leave. Han-Noah Massengo’s deal is due to expire, but City will at least get a compensation fee for him.

As for those currently at City, the season is at risk of faltering out with an injury crisis affecting their ability to put together a consistent run of form. They haven’t scored on their travels since Sunderland in mid-February, and a trip to in-form Stoke City will prove a tough test.

Pearson’s side are currently below mid-table, and are 12-points off of the play-offs and 10 points above the relegation zone, but despite not being involved in either a promotion or relegation battle, he has dismissed that his players have nothing to play for. City under his stewardship have finished 17th and 18th, and there will be a demand for improvement to provide a springboard for success next season.

He said: “This summer will be important but players have got plenty to play for. If they don’t think so then they won’t play quite frankly. It’s quite straightforward as far as I’m concerned. There’s no such thing as a dead rubber.

“In my mind, there’s always something that matters and firstly we want to finish the season well because if we can’t make any further progressions this year then it’s about preparing for next year. That’s how the mentality has to go.

“The players are fully aware and there’s a lot of competition in our squad. Now it’s up to us to try and continue to improve our own standard, that’s really what it’s about. That’s just my view on it - there’s always something to play for.”