Nigel Pearson has revealed Bristol City haven’t received any bids for their players as he weighs up his options in the final two weeks of the transfer window, admitting there’s no money to spend on new signings.
Based on previous comments, Pearson would like to bring in two more new players before September 1 - believed to be a centre-back and defensive midfielder - with the Robins fourth and most recent incoming of the summer being goalkeeper Stefan Bajic in the first week of July.
That extended timespan has led to a degree of frustration at the lack of progress, but Pearson’s hands are tied to an extent due to the lack of financial resources available to him to bid for any targets. That could change, however, should City be able to negotiate any substantial sales out of the club.
At present, the most realistic candidate is Antoine Semenyo with significant Premier League interest in the injured forward, most notably from Crystal Palace, but various enquiries into the 22-year-old’s valuation and availability have not been followed by any credible offers.
“There’s been speculation of course but the honest answer to that is not there haven’t been any bids, there’s been quite a bit of speculation but until there’s anything substantial I won’t comment anyway, but there’s nothing to comment on with that,” Pearson said, after City's 2-0 win over Luton Town, having also declared: “No, still the same situation - there’s no money available to add to the squad.”
Palace’s interest in Semenyo could also be wavering given the presence of sporting director Dougie Freedman at St Andrew’s for Birmingham City’s 1-1 draw with Watford as the Eagles are also evaluating Hornets forward Ismaila Sarr, although the Senegalese was left out of the side with a minor hamstring issue.
The 24-year-old would likely be more expensive for Palace than Semenyo but possesses Premier League experience and would, in theory, make a quicker transition, with less time needed to settle, into a top-flight first team.
City have priced Semenyo, who has one year remaining on his contract with a further 12-month option, at around £15m and, like their high valuation for Scott, there is a feeling that clubs in the Premier League are unwilling to pay those sort of amounts for Championship players untested at a higher level.
As City owner Steve Lansdown indicated earlier this month, the club require a substantial offer to effectively make the decision for them, otherwise there really is no point entering into negotiations.
However, at the same time, if there is a genuine desire to raise transfer revenue - to either reinvest in the team or help meet Profit & Sustainability obligations - there is a danger of overpricing players, forcing clubs to look elsewhere for better value in the market.
Pearson raised the concept of “trading” earlier this month as an obvious means for re-energising their recruitment plan but, to use Semenyo as an example, City must consider if what is offered for the young forward is worth accepting to ensure players in different positions, or if it makes greater sporting and financial sense to retain him.
The same is also true of midfielder Alex Scott, although slightly different when considering those in the squad entering the final 12 months of their contracts - Nahki Wells, Tomas Kalas, Dan Bentley and Han-Noah Massengo as the standout names.
Pearson wouldn’t name individual situations or players but is anticipating some difficult decisions for the club over the next two weeks, albeit ones that are also necessary if he wants to strengthen his squad.
“I won’t try and fob you off with this,” Pearson added, in response to a question around the concept of having to sell players to bring someone else in. “It depends on the policy that we agree on at some point; whether the players we have or whether it’s in the interest of us as a club to make a decision (on a sale), which would be difficult to deal with, but that’s life - sometimes you’ve got to do it.”
Pearson also revealed that Semenyo isn't any closer to a first-team return as he recovers from a shin injury sustained in early June with the 22-year-old due to undergo a fresh scan on the problem over the next week.
There had been a feeling that the Ghana international was way ahead of his original scheduled return of mid-September, with the possibility he could play this month, but there appears to have been a slight setback.
Semenyo was seen training at the High Performance Centre on Tuesday as the Under-21s were beating Hull City 4-2. Working alone, he was put through a number of running drills ranging from jogging to sprinting both with and without ball at feet.
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