The closer Bristol City approach the end of the season, the more important the summer is becoming.
Six games remain on the calendar before the curtain comes down on a rather uninspiring and forgetful campaign but for Nigel Pearson, they'll be little time to stick his feet up.
Ruthless decisions will have to be made on his squad. That includes a wage bill that needs slashing, certain players deemed not good enough to offload, values for talented players to be negotiated, contracts to be concluded and replacements to be signed - all on a stringent budget.
Get it wrong and it could lead to severe implications next season, not only for Pearson but for the club as they languish towards the foot of the table - the 'R' word remains on the backburner for now.
In simple terms, there's now little room for error in the transfer window both in terms of which players are allowed to leave and those that come in to replace them.
While all that remains relatively unknown for now, one thing we can be sure of is that there will be plenty of movement from when that season ends on May 7 to the kick-off of the following campaign on the weekend of July 30.
A whopping 19 players are out of contract either this summer or next, although a number do have options to extend those for an extra year. Han-Noah Massengo, Timm Klose, Tomas Kalas, Dan Bentley and Jay Dasilva are just some of the names that fall into that category.
So with all that to digest, how many players approximately will Pearson need to sign this summer to ensure he has a squad capable of pushing up the table?
Goalkeeper
All roads point to the Dan Bentley dilemma. Out of contract in 2023, the Bristol City captain has been forced to fight his way back into the first team this season following his spell out of the side.
It's clear Bentley wants to stay at Ashton Gate but he's also determined to fulfil his dream of playing Premier League football.
Whether he has the quality to be performing at the top flight on a regular basis is open to interpretation but at the age of 28, he certainly has plenty of years ahead of him in the Championship.
Interestingly, City were linked with a free transfer for Brazilian goalkeeper Victor Braga from Arouca last week alongside Sheffield United and Reading. A left-field rumour that may or may not have any weight to it but it does pose the question as to whether Bentley's future lies on if the manager can find a keeper of an equal standard (or better, of course) on a lower wage and of a lesser value - pocketing the cash or reinvesting in other areas of the team.
Max O'Leary was handed his opportunity in Bentley's absence but there wasn't much evidence to suggest he can take the mantle as City's No1 going forward, although he didn't particularly do much wrong.
It's not particularly a priority position for Pearson in the summer but if a bid for Bentley does come in, surely there's a temptation to take the cash and look elsewhere. Either way, a decision on the goalkeeper's future must be made relatively soon.
Defence
It may not be entirely farfetched to suggest Bristol City could line up with a completely new backline next season - unlikely, but not beyond the realms of possibility.
Having conceded 72 goals and counting already this season, there's already a very valid case to invest in the backline and address the weaknesses without even taking into consideration the contract issues on some players.
Let's start with the centre-backs. Nathan Baker's future remains uncertain following his concussion and Kalas remains one of the club's highest earners and this summer will be the last chance to recoup some of the £8m paid for him if he doesn't sign a new contract.
Klose and Cundy are both out of contract although new deals for those pair would certainly make sense, at least to provide extra cover at the back.
Zak Vyner's future at Ashton Gate looks bleak having been dropped from the squad so that's three central defenders, with a combined number of 71 Championship appearances between them this season, who could be off.
With Cam Pring and Rob Atkinson likely to stay, you could assume Pearson will need to sign at least two central defenders this summer and that also includes the likes of youngster Ryley Towler forcing his way into the matchday squad on occasions.
At wing-back, Pearson has already stated his intention to fix this season's problem position by heading into the market looking for a right-sided defender. George Tanner's return will be welcome, but it's unfair to rest the responsibility solely on his shoulders.
Dasilva's expiring contract in 2023 remains another dilemma and considering his recent form is deserving of a new deal, quite a turnaround from January. His lofty wages are a hurdle but keeping him on the books in City's current defensive state seem more and more of a necessity.
Midfield
Again, a look at the players who are increasingly likely to leave this summer include Andy King (out of contract, with a year's option), Callum O'Dowda (see above) and unfortunately Massengo appears to be creeping closer to the exit door.
The latter's deal expires in 2023 and with City's current financial predicament, unless the two parties can come to an agreement soon, the club will have to sell him this summer to generate much-needed funds.
Kasey Palmer's time at Bristol City is seemingly over which means that could be four players heading out of the club.
Although rather reluctantly, Alex Scott's future is also relatively uncertain and now the secret of his ability is out in the open, a number of Premier League clubs are likely to test the club's resolve in the summer. Every player has a price at the end of the day.
With that in mind and with Joe Williams' injury record this season, it appears Pearson is going to have plenty to do in the midfield department when it comes to recruitment.
Ayman Benarous will hopefully emerge as a more developed player while the likes of Josh Owers are also showing plenty of promise and will almost certainly get their opportunities at some point or another.
Pearson has already stated his intentions to sign a defensive-minded midfielder, an enforcer in the middle of the park, but it could emerge that the manager needs at least four news names to have enough options going forward into next season.
Attack
Chris Martin ended speculation over his future at City by triggering a one-year extension to his deal last month and deservedly so after a tireless campaign.
Andi Weimann's staggering form, in which he has scored 19 and assisted nine, will certainly have potential suitors paying close attention.
However, despite his efforts this season, how much would clubs be willing to pay for a 30-year-old with two years left on his contract, particularly with a track record of injuries? Considering his priceless campaign, probably not enough for City to consider cashing in.
That leads us to Antoine Semenyo and another player who is likely to be under intense transfer speculation at times in the summer. West Ham, Watford, Celtic and FC Salzburg remain four of nine clubs who have reportedly shown an interest in his signature.
Pearson has already stated it would take "an awful lot of dough" to cash in on the striker but he certainly could be off should the right offer come along.
Finally, Nahki Wells is likely to depart with his deal expiring in 2023 having seen his opportunity for a move away from the club in January turned down. The striker is also one of the highest earners at the club.
Even with Tommy Conway coming through the ranks, Pearson will need to sign at least one replacement in the striker's department to replace Wells and certainly two if they decide to cash in on Semenyo.
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