Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson has not ruled out going back into the transfer market before the window closes in a fortnight’s time, but said the club’s wage structure meant they could not compete against many other clubs.
Fans hoping for a late window spending spree with the millions brought in by the sale of Alex Scott may be disappointed, however, as Pearson said there was a ‘misconception’ that just because the club has sold its most valuable asset, doesn’t necessarily mean there is £20 million burning a hole in the manager’s pocket.
Wages are as big - if not a bigger - factor as any transfer fee, and the club’s sustainable wage structure is something Pearson and the club has worked hard to create. Ahead of the game at home to Birmingham City on Saturday, Pearson said he was already ‘very pleased’ with the transfer business Bristol City have already conducted.
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“We’ve already done a lot of business (in) the two windows in this calendar year,” he said. “A lot of the business we’ve done, we’re very pleased, not just with the incomers, but with the players that have left, the players that have come in, the dynamics of the squad has changed, and the players that we’ve added to the squad have made us a better team and on top of that, we’ve still evolved ourselves,” he added.
Pearson brought in new signings relatively early in the transfer window in the shape of Jason Knight, Haydon Roberts and Ross McCrorie, who is still sidelined with a bacterial infection. On the prospect of bringing any more players in, Pearson didn’t completely rule it out, but said: “Whether any more business is done will be dependent on a number of criteria and the most important thing is whether the type of players we need are either available, or whether they are doable, and the doable bit becomes an internal discussion that we have.
“One of the problems is everybody looks at when players leave and we get fees for players, there is this sort of misconception that all of a sudden there’s loads of money available. We’re not working to that type of model, we’re trying to be as sensible as possible looking at the future of the club, but also maintaining the present, and that is to stay within a certain wage structure which is sensible for us, still makes us competitive, and the business that we’ve done in this calendar year I think has been really good.
“What we can’t compete is with wage structures of other people. We try and look after our assets, it’s important to look after our assets, but there is always a threshold, and that’s the key thing to accept,” he added.
The club missed out on a potential signing with Bolton's George Thomason turning down a move to BS3, but Pearson said he hoped Bristol City offered an attractive destination for players around the Championship, and also for those already here thinking of signing on for longer. “One of the big things that players get here is opportunity. I think that’s a really good selling point for us as a football club, and what we can’t do is compete with people whose first and foremost, their motivation is money," he added.
“Good players will earn money in their career and they’ll do very well, but what we try and create here is a feeling of worth, togetherness and I think that is an important quality that we try to create within the club, so people feel a part of it.
“If you’re talking about Alex Scott, who has obviously left us now, and we wish him the best of luck, but there’s no doubt that he will reflect on his time here and realise what a fantastic opportunity he had here, and people have touched his career here that he will remember right the way through his career, so it’s not just about the financial stuff, it’s about the players being able to develop, and we try our best to get it right,” he added.
Pearson goes into Saturday’s game with Birmingham City with a largely unchanged pool of players to choose from the Millwall game last Saturday. He said the game will come too soon for Andi Weimann’s recovery from a heel complaint, and Ross McCrorie is still sidelined with illness. Tommy Conway is still out long term, and Ayman Benarous’ road to recovery from his back-to-back ACL injuries has suffered a set back with a slight, but different, injury.
