Nigel Pearson is hopeful that Bristol City can reach an agreement with Andy King over extending his role as player/coach into at least another season.
King is one of three current first-team players whose future beyond this summer is yet to be resolved, although the 34-year-old is in a slightly different position to Tomas Kalas and Jay Dasilva as he combines playing duties with serving as part of Pearson’s staff.
The City manager is very much keen for that arrangement to continue given King’s dual impact both on and off the field; in terms of the former, he’s made 26 appearances in league and cup - covering both in midfield and central defence - and also proved a key influence to the procession of academy graduates making the leap from Under-21 football into the first-team.
King’s role as mentor and confidant for the younger elements of the squad has been vital in creating the right dressing room atmosphere for the likes of Omar Taylor-Clarke, Sam Bell and Tommy Conway to have made such visible strides this season.
“He’s a member of staff, isn’t he, so hopefully he’ll still be a member of staff next year who plays,” said Pearson, who has previously claimed King could one day be a Bristol City manager, having signed for his boyhood club in the summer of 2021.
“He’s got value as a player and I think this season beneficial for his profile with the fanbase to see he still has something to offer but, on top of that, he’s been and continues to be a big part to - as a lot of our senior players have - the development of our younger players.
“That’s something that’s been discussed already, there’s no secrets internally about that, and hopefully, if both parties are happy, he’ll be here doing a similar thing to what he has done this year and that is - be a valuable squad member but also have an important role to play with the development of the players.”
On the assumption that King stays, two members of the Under-21 set-up who could be next to make the sustained step into the first-team environment, and therefore will be under the midfielder’s wing to some extent, are centre-back Jamie Knight-Lebel and striker Seb Palmer-Houlden.
The latter joined the City squad on their pre-season trip to Austria last summer so is well-known to Pearson but showcased his progress with a hat-trick in midweek for the Under-21s in their 4-1 win over Ipswich Town and is a tall and rangy classic No9 who the Robins don’t really possess in their striker department.
Pearson admits the 18-year-old should be brought back into the senior environment, if not before the summer then certainly over pre-season again, where his suitability can be assessed and a decision made on how best to maximise his long-term development, whether that be in Bristol or by sending him out on loan.
“He had a taste of the first-team environment last summer and I think I've said on many occasions, everyone's route is a bit different," Pearson added.
“When you look how he plays, in particular, a lot of people might think he's older than he is and we have to remember he's still a really young man. He'll get some exposure back with the first team at some point which will be beneficial for him. He may be a player we decide to loan, we don't know, we haven't made those decisions yet.
“All those types of decisions will be based on whether there is a realistic route for him in our first team and so those types of things will be discussed once we get back into pre-season mode; the first spell of pre-season is looking at where they are and quite often you get young players coming back and visibly they've changed.
“Next season I'm sure will be a big one for him as it will be for many other young players that probably aren't on the radar yet just because they will put themselves forward by showing what they're about."
Canada Under-20 international Knight-Lebel, meanwhile, also a regular fixture in the U21 side having captained Ali Hines’ Young Robins, was this week named as one of three nominees for the EFL’s Apprentice of the Year which will be awarded on April 23.
“Our young players get an opportunity to be as good as they can be because the system they’re in is one that is very much about the players’ development,” Pearson said. “For me, it’s another good example of - we’re trying to get things right here, we don’t get them right all the time, but at least we are a club which works hard to get the best players that we can in the building and then we work very, very hard to develop them and allow them to be as good as they can be.
“I’m not massive on just pouring praise on people. It’s more about what we’re doing collectively. It’s always very rewarding for the staff, both the academy staff and the first-team staff, to see players doing well.
“When players break into the first-team they’re at the start and have probably reached the end of the academy journey and it’s all starting again. So, it’s great to recognise successes, of course, and we, as a football club, are very happy our academy is a successful one. Because we’ve got players coming through the season, which has allowed us to weather a difficult period, which in itself is a very good thing.
“Let’s keep things in perspective, it’s fabulous for him to be recognised but he’s also very aware the real challenge starts now.”
SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate
READ NEXT
