Nigel Pearson believes his new players have both the quality and mental attributes to help Bristol City achieve success by aiming for promotion.
The Bristol City manager moved swiftly in the summer to complete three new signings with Mark Sykes, Kal Naismith and Kane Wilson all coming through the door on free transfers.
As the players returned to pre-season this week, Pearson confirmed it has been a "good summer" in regards to the transfer business done both in terms of incomings and outgoings with Callum O'Dowda heading for Cardiff and Kasey Palmer joining Coventry.
While the manager offered little in regards to future deals, Bristol Live understands the club will look to sign at least one new central defender while a defensive midfielder is also on the shortlist with Pearson demanding healthy competition between the squad on the training ground.
Speaking about City's `new arrivals, Pearson stressed the importance of getting key deals over the line early on and claimed the club's potential to be successful was a key factor in swaying their decisions to join the club.
He told Robins TV: "The players that have come in recognise that the club has the capabilities to be successful, the infrastructure is very good, we are ambitious but that doesn't guarantee success.
"The plan that we've got to move the club forward is one that will take patience, from our fanbase in particular but I think our fan base can see what we're trying to do.
"They are all really hungry for success, when you look at the interviews all three have done on joining, there is a maturity and also I just get the sense when I speak to them that they are aware of what's required of them.
"They've all got different backgrounds but all three of them have had a really good season at their previous clubs. It's just important we strengthen in the right areas and we get the right types of people in as well. It's about having players who are prepared to take on the tough challenge.
"If we are going to be a better and more competitive side, yes you need the ability but you also need the right mental quality as well and that's very important with how we add to the squad and how we develop them. It's been a good summer for the club in terms of making some changes.
"For the players, in particular, (it's important) to feel that there is some progression in terms of how the squad is developing. It's always very important to try and make the right changes and we just feel the squad needs freshening up. The players that have come in will definitely make us a better team this year.
"We are not going to set the bar low in terms of expectations this year, we want to be in the promotion race. That's the aim every year regardless of how it pans out. I don't believe in setting low targets, let's try and achieve what everybody wants to do and that's achieve promotion."
Pearson also dropped his biggest hint yet that he will take with the three at the back formation that achieved so much success as an attacking unit, allowing Andi Weimann to flourish behind both Antoine Semenyo and Chris Martin.
Wilson's arrival means City finally have a natural right wing-back while Naismith adds another option to central defence. The signing of Sykes provides more of an attacking threat from midfielder and allows Pearson to be more flexible in regards to his formation, if he wants to switch to a back four.
The manager had previously favoured playing with a flat four, although was forced to change those tactics last season in a bid to stop his side from conceding so many goals. Pearson added: "I can't us changing too much in terms of how we play off the back of last season where we discovered a formula that suited the players we had.
"As an attacking side we were very exciting but we've just got to make sure our ability as a team to defend is more consistent."
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