Nigel Pearson is open to exploring the foreign market this summer should the right deal be available but echoed the challenges of signing players within Bristol City's wage structure.
Out of the 11 players he has signed during his tenure as Bristol City manager, only two have come from abroad in goalkeepers Stefan Bajic and Nikita Haikin, both arriving on free transfers. Bajic is currently on loan at French side Valenciennes to gain first-team experience while Haikin, a January arrival, was offered a three-year deal with Bodo/Glimt.
The £1.6million fee paid for Rob Atkinson during his first transfer window remains one of two significant outlays, alongside the undisclosed fee for Anis Mehmeti, while George Tanner also signed for a fee in the region of £400,000 from Carlisle. Nonetheless, Pearson has been tasked to work within a stringent budget but will be handed more financial freedom this summer, fuelled by the £10.5million sale of Antoine Semenyo to Bournemouth in January.
There's also the expectation that Alex Scott will also depart for the Premier League in a deal that could be worth around £25million.
Technical Director Brian Tinnion spoke in December about City's recruitment strategy in the summer. He suggested there are "three or four" targets in mind from the lower leagues who the club will look to pursue once the final ball is kicked at the end of the season.
City will sign at least one centre-back, although they may need two depending on Tomas Kalas' future while a left-back will also be targeted should Jay Dasilva fail to sign a new contract. The club will also bolster their midfield with doubts over Andy King's playing future beyond this season while they will need to replace Scott should he depart.
Matty James turns 32 over the summer while breakthrough youngsters such as Omar Taylor-Clarke have plenty of potential, Pearson will be eager not to put too much pressure on their shoulders.
"I don’t rule anything in or anything out, we’ve been in the market for players abroad over the past two years but have not been able to do the deals," Pearson said. "Because other clubs have gazumped us with more money.
"It’s not we haven’t been looking abroad, it’s just we’ve not been able to do those deals. If it (the deal) was beneficial to us, I’ve got no qualms about where players come from, it’s not a problem.
"It’s just whether we think they are the right players for us. I don’t think of it in those terms. Players are available to us worldwide but whether they are the right players for us, or where we are at the moment is a different thing."
City have worked hard to reduce their wage bill over the last couple of years both due to the financial impact of Covid and to ensure a fairer playing field across his squad. In the latest accounts, covering the 2021/22 financial year, City reduced their player wage bill from £35.3million in the year prior to £30.3m.
The club have now implemented a wage structure which means the highest earners are being asked to reduce their salaries in order to sign extensions. Nahki Wells penned a new deal in December on reduced terms, goalkeeper Dan Bentley was told he wasn't going to earn a new contract before his move to Wolves while Kalas and Dasilva's deals are expiring this summer with talks ongoing.
Pearson added: "The financial climate has changed here so it’s not about transfer fees it’s about wages these days more often than not. There are a lot of players that are available.
"Premier League clubs are spending millions and millions but we have to be mindful of how we spend our money. It’s much more cost-effective to be in the market for players who are available on a free but we have a wage structure now and one of which we’re not prepared to move outside of.
"There has to be an element of fairness and we want to have a sustainable as a possible operation which it has not been previously.
"This will be the first summer since I've been here that we've not got a lot of players out of contract so I would expect this summer to be more of a positive summer in terms of us adding to what we've already got rather than replacing departures, for want of a better term."
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