Timm Klose update given as Curtis Fleming praises his drive for Bristol City deal

The 33-year-old has been training with the Robins over the last week as City look to bring in defensive reinforcements as a result of injuries to Nathan Baker, Rob Atkinson and Ryley Towler.

Klose was due to play for the Under-23’s against Charlton Athletic but paperwork meant he could only be a spectator whilst he continues to train.

Pearson’s trusted lieutenant was a bit more open than how the City boss was on Saturday when asked about the news, praising the attitude and desire to earn a deal at Ashton Gate.

“He’s looking to play and it’s a position that we’ve been looking at as well,” Fleming said.

“It gives us a chance to run the rule over him. He’s 33-years-old and he’s experienced. It’s better to see someone live.

“You’ve got videos and clips that are fantastic but it’s great. The biggest thing for me is that he’s an experienced Premier League international footballer and he’s willing to come over and show us what he can do.

“He’s not sitting around saying I can do that, if you want me to come over and have a look, no problem I’ll come and do it.I think that is a real positive from anybody.

“We had a good session with him today. We didn’t get a chance for him to play against the reserves game on Tuesday as there was a problem with the paperwork.

“It’s just important that we can have a look at him, look at the aspects of his position we may encounter in the Championship. This morning was a good chance to test him on all those aspects and he looked strong.”

When asked whether a decision could be made soon: Fleming said: “I think Nigel will make a decision sooner rather than later on that.”

Whilst the emphasis has been on reducing the wage bill and bringing the average age of the squad down, Klose is an option in the short-term for City to be competitive in the Championship.

It is also a position that has been spoken about as a priority by Pearson ahead of the January transfer deadline, though because he is a free agent, there is no rush to register him.

“If you wanna go and get Thiago Silva you need a few quid. At the moment that is where we are.He’s very experienced and he’s fit. The biggest thing that is very important because sometimes you can get players that are like ‘I’m not coming over on trial, I’ve got two promotions and played in the Premier League’.

“He wanted to come over, there are different reasons why he hasn’t been playing and he wanted to come over and let us look at him in the flesh. He’s trained well but he’s not 23, he’s 33. “We know what we’re seeing, we know what we need, (we know) what we get and at the end of the day it shouldn’t be short term.”

There was some criticism that Fleming picked up on Klose’s age, as well as his injury record, as he has not played football for the last six months after leaving Norwich City.

Klose has been training in Switzerland conducting his own personal training regime in Basel in the hope of getting a deal at the club.

For those doubting his ability because his age, Fleming a defender in his playing career, gave a number of examples of centre-backs who have excelled in the later years of their careers

“He gives us a bit of experience. It’s fantastic that people have been talking about his age. What age is he? I’m thinking Gary Cahill is 37 and is doing okay. Kyle McFadzean at Coventry who are flying, he’s 35,” the assistant added.

“Curtis Davies is 36 and Phil Jagielka’s just got a move from Derby to Stoke at 39/40. Please don’t tell me about age, sometimes it’s about a bit of nouse, experience and organisation that you have.”