Nigel Pearson has told three Bristol City players whose contracts expire next summer that they don’t have a future at the club, with those individuals set to be used as makeweights in any potential transfer business next month.
With Nahki Wells’ new deal confirmed on Friday and Pearson also revealing that the club have activated Antoine Semenyo’s 12-month option, City now have nine first-team players out of contract next summer: Dan Bentley, Jay Dasilva, Tomas Kalas, Andy King, Timm Klose, Han-Noah Massengo, Chris Martin, Max O’Leary and Zak Vyner, plus loanees Taylor Moore, Owura Edwards and Harvey Wiles-Richards.
The Robins hold 12-month options with Klose, O’Leary, Vyner, Moore and Edwards, and Pearson has said offers have been made to “around seven” individuals over extending their stays at Ashton Gate.
He wouldn’t disclose the identities of those who have been informed their time at the club is coming to an end nor who’s in active discussions, which includes Under-21 players, but, independent of those particular decisions, did confess that Tomas Kalas’ status beyond next summer is dependent on the centre-back proving his fitness, having not started a game since March.
“Three players have been told that they won’t be getting contracts next year,” the manager revealed on Friday. “We’ve decided to do it early so that people can try and find alternative solutions. If we can do stuff in January, we’ll need to generate the opportunity to do it, whether that’s players going out which frees up a bit (of money), or whether we can do something outside of that, I still can’t give you the definitive answer to that.
“What I will say is that we have offered contracts to a number of our players who are out of contract, Nahki being one of those and the interesting thing is they’ll all be offered less than they’re on now. That’s where we are.
“We’ll keep you updated when we can give you further details about where other players sit, decide, whatever - and there are a number of players who we haven’t still made decisions on. We’re trying to look forward and plan forward and at least players, whether they’ve been offered a contract or they haven’t, at least they know where they are.
“Those players will be in discussions with whoever about how they move forward.”
Having said at the fans forum in late October that it was “too soon” to be discussing contracts with players, the situation has dramatically accelerated over the World Cup break based on two factors: the upcoming transfer window, in which those on expiring deals still retain some value - however small - and a desire to avoid what transpired in Pearson’s first season at the club.
The manager arrived in February 2021, with 11 players whose contracts were coming to an end that summer and it had an adverse impact on the dressing room dynamic, squad harmony, the culture across the club and, fundamentally, results.
“The bottom line is, it’s better to be upfront with people,” Pearson added. “When you go into the latter stages of a season, what you don’t want then is people being unsure of what their future looks like. It also gives us an opportunity to, hopefully, accelerate doing some sort of a trading scenario in January.
“I’ve said many times, it’s not my favourite window but I think we can maybe do something, or at least explore avenues that will give us a bit of a freshen up.”
As to who that trio could be, based on Pearson’s rationale of potentially using them in the window as either a sale or swap agreement, that would surely eliminate veterans Klose, King and Martin, while such has been the level of O’Leary and, in particular, Vyner’s performances this season they are strong candidates to be offered new terms or, at the very least, have their options activated, while Edwards is more of a long-term project.
By process of elimination, that leaves Bentley, Dasilva and Massengo plus Moore, who retains a strong reputation at League One level after an encouraging time at Shrewsbury Town this season and previous spells with Blackpool, Southend United and Bury in that division.
Goalkeeper Bentley, who joined in the summer of 2019 from Brentford, remains club captain but has lost his starting role to O’Leary with Stefan Bajic signed as a long-term solution. Dasilva was another marquee signing three years ago, from Chelsea, and is also a high earner but after winning his place back last season, as he was essentially made available to leave last January, has since been replaced at left wing-back by Cam Pring.
“If they decide to stay here, they decide to stay here but we need everybody here to be totally switched on and giving everything,” Pearson said.
“I remember when I first came here, there was an air of - lazy, don’t work hard enough, not bothered about the team; and so last week’s game, after the game, people then get upset when I have a go at players, tough I’m afraid, because we can’t afford to have people under-par, whether that be in training or games. I’m not talking about mistakes, I’m talking about having a drive to be the best versions of themselves every time.
“There may be players who have been offered contracts who turn them down and wait, but at least they know, and at least we have an idea of what their intentions are. Whichever way they’re going to be playing for a contract somewhere and I think there is an awakening among players now that they realise that the days of getting lots of different offers aren’t there. If players disengage with us, they’ll be sidelined.
“And hopefully we can freshen up a bit in January, that’s the idea. Whether it’s doable or not, will remain to be seen. But, behind the scenes, there’s been a lot of work going on.”
Only last week, Pearson admitted that it’d be in everyone’s interest for Massengo to move on having declined a new contract offer made this time last year. On Friday he clarified the situation further by adding: “Han-Noah has decided he’s going to run the clock down, which is his decision, and he remains an important member of the squad.”
Pearson also denied that City had rejected an offer for the French midfielder from then-Premier League side Watford in the summer of 2021.
As for Kalas, who has been limited to just two substitute appearances after a knee injury last season and subsequent calf problems, the manager added: "Some players still don't know, we've got to make decisions of them - Tomas Kalas would be one because he's not played.
"Tom's desperate to get back in and we would be very pleased for him to be back in the squad, available to play and hopefully will be very soon. But that's an example of a player - and Tom is not your average player, he's a complex lad but a great lad - who knows he has to play for his future, and that's healthy."
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