Bristol City club record signing’s future ‘into consideration’ amid injury problems

Nigel Pearson has admitted that Tomas Kalas’ injury problems could affect his chances of him earning a new deal at Bristol City. The Robins’ club record signing is one of several players out of contract next summer and an extension is not guaranteed.

As of the Fans Forum in late October, no contract had been offered to those whose deals expire in the summer. The manager spoke of the importance of players earning new contracts by playing consistently and playing well.

Kalas is one of 10 senior players who are playing for their futures, with a huge summer in store for the club. The Czech Republic international returned to action in October and made two cameo appearances, but is back on the sidelines once more.

The 29-year-old hasn’t started a match since March, having dealt with groin and knee injuries. A return date of Christmas has been considered, but the less matches he plays, the less opportunities he has to showcase his worth to the manager.

"You’ll have to wait and see what happens in the future,” Pearson told BristolWorld when asked if his recent injury problems would affect his chances of earning a new deal.

“Those are factors that do come into consideration of course but again, every player’s circumstances are a little bit different.”

Pearson at the Fans Forum in October alluded to the trend that players have been offered reduced terms over the last 12 to 18 months. Several long-serving players such as Callum O’Dowda and Jamie Paterson have left over the last two summers,

Financial Fair Play rules mean that City will have to cut their cloth accordingly and ensure that they are well within the parameters. They reported a loss of £28.5m last month, which was a £10m increase from the previous year.

Departing CEO Richard Gould, who leaves at the end of the January transfer window, has been tasked with securing the current crops futures. All ten players are able to speak to clubs from abroad about a potential Bosman transfer.

"Obviously, the financial side plays a huge part of it as well,” he admitted. “There is work being done behind the scenes and we’ve had plenty of discussions with staff in terms of where we will go with the squad."

"This summer there are a lot of contracts that expire so there will essentially be a lot of players who are playing for new contracts which is healthy but there will also be conversations with players when the time is right about maybe a different scenario.

"I’m not going to say anything in the public forum when I’ve not spoken to players, that’s the way we do that. Richard (Gould) will continue to talk with player’s representatives and that’s how we work."