‘My job is…’ - Nigel Pearson outlines Bristol City role ahead of transfer deadline

Nigel Pearson is focusing on matters on the field at Bristol City and has admitted he is not in charge of the current transfer situation with a week to go until the deadline next Tuesday evening.

The Robins haven’t recruited any new players this month, despite the 59-year-old wanting to conduct business early in the window. The lack of players that have been moved on permanently from the club has affected their ability to do business and there is an increasing possibility that no new players will arrive at Ashton Gate.

Joe Low and Stefan Bajic have been loaned out to Walsall and Valenciennes, and Ryley Towler has been sold to Portsmouth, but that hasn’t been enough to make funds available to sign new players. The club however has held firm in rejecting bids from both Bournemouth and Burnley for World Cup striker Antoine Semenyo.

Semenyo, who has seven goals and three assists this season, including five goal contributions since the turn of the New Year, is likely to stay in the West Country with interested parties moving on to other targets. The last seven days of the window is usually when clubs begin to panic about meeting their expectations set at the start of the season, but for the former Leicester City boss, any transfer decisions will be in the hands of departing CEO Richard Gould.

“I’ll expect or I will deal with whatever comes our way,” he said. “It could be very quiet, there could be things happening. My job as a manager is to manage the team. My job is not to manage the transfer situation that’s not part of what I do.”

Chris Martin is a player that could be moved on having seemingly become available for transfer. The 34-year-old has not been involved in the last seven match-day squads, despite the luxury of being able to name nine substitutes in their two FA Cup fixtures against Swansea City.

Last weekend it was reported that League One clubs including promotion hopefuls Derby County had been interested in signing the experienced forward. Martin has not played outside the Championship since 2013 but may have to drop down a division if he is to secure first-team minutes. The latest on the former Crystal Palace forward however is that no team has made a move for him.

“No idea. It depends on whether somebody is interested and whether he wants to go,” he said. As it stands at the minute, our players are contracted with us and will be with us until somebody else is interested.

“If somebody else is interested there is a decision to be made. There are three parties involved in that, two clubs and the player.”