Bristol City has failed to make the progress that Nigel Pearson would have hoped for in his first full season in charge.
There have been some brilliant performances along the way, and a few standout individuals – Alex Scott, Antoine Semenyo, and Andi Weimann – have been tremendously excellent, but the Robins’ position at the bottom of the table is undeniable. The city may have been dragged into a relegation scrap if City had not been docked points.
With that in mind, we’ve highlighted two changes to the team that we could make this summer. In previous transfer windows, it has been hard for City to sell high-earning players, but the summer could be the time when a few of the out-of-favor players who are taking up substantial space on their salary bill go.
Nahki Wells (the club’s highest earner at £27,000 per week) and Kasey Palmer (the club’s third-highest earner at £20,000) are two guys the Robins should be doing everything they can to get rid of. Both are nearing the end of their contracts, and it may be more cost-effective to let them go for free now rather than pay their wages in 2022 or 2023.
Wells has a strong goal-scoring record in the EFL and could attract plenty of interest, but he has fallen down the pecking order this season. On the other hand, Palmer has fallen out of favor at Ashton Gate, and the South West club could attempt to take advantage of Birmingham City’s rumored interest in bringing his disastrous stay to an end.
Getting rid of the pair would free up approximately £50,000 per week in salary. The city has been happy to take advantage of the loan market by shipping their young players abroad, but Pearson has made it clear that he is wary of using it to bolster his team.
His comments ahead of the winter window suggest that his reservations are founded on the likelihood of overpaying for players who aren’t better than the ones he already has, but with most current loan deals coming to an end after the season ends, the summer window will have more players available. If the team responds quickly enough, they should be able to secure the proper players on reasonable terms.
The Robins manager has gotten off lightly this season in terms of results, but if City falters again next season, his job could be jeopardized. With obvious problems in his squad, he may be tempted to hunt for help on the loan market and accept that if he can find it, he will.
