Nigel Pearson sends key message to Bristol City players ahead of summer transfer window

Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson has challenged his players to ‘show what they are made of’ and prove that there doesn’t need to be a major recruitment drive at Ashton Gate in the summer, speaking to Bristol Live after last night’s loss against Barnsley.

Although the Robins have had high points during the 2021/22 campaign, they have struggled to get going and maintain their consistency, currently sitting 18th going into tonight’s round of Championship fixtures with a respectable finish looking unlikely at this stage.

Yesterday evening’s 2-0 defeat against relegation battlers Barnsley summed up their season, overcoming a high-flyer in Blackburn Rovers last weekend but failing to build on that against a team operating at the other end of the table.

Though there will be those that are likely to be in Pearson’s plans next term, including Han-Noah Massengo and Alex Scott with both being the subject of Premier League interest, others may be available for transfer in the summer following an underwhelming campaign.

It’s currently unclear how much incoming transfer business the second-tier side will be able to conduct in the next window with murmurings surrounding their compliance with the EFL’s profitability and sustainability rules.

But their boss didn’t rule out a revamp and issued a clear message to those who may not be in his thoughts for the 2022/23 campaign at this current moment.

Asked whether last night’s performance reinforced the need for additions, he said: “We’ve now got eight games to go and I think I can answer that question with a bit more certainty in a few games times but players have the opportunity to show what they are made of and that’s all I can say.”

The Verdict:

This is an interesting situation – because