Nigel Pearson says new signing Nikita Haikin is unlikely to make his first-team debut this weekend against West Brom but has tasked the goalkeeper to fight for his long-term future at Bristol City.
The 27-year-old joined on a short-term contract until the end of the season on Wednesday, with the announcement coming an hour after Dan Bentley's move to Wolves was confirmed. Haikin had been without a club since the beginning of January after opting against extending his deal with former club Bodo/Glimt.
He arrives in BS3 with a varied career having played in Portugal, Spain, Israel, Russia and Norway while achieving plenty of success with the latter. Haikin won two league titles and featured heavily in their Europa League campaigns including starring in victories over Roma and Celtic.
Pearson confirmed Haikin was a target in the summer but Stefan Bajic's arrival meant options in goal were plentiful with Max O'Leary and Bentley staying put. Speaking about his arrival, the manager said: "He's come in for competition, he gives us cover and he's got experience.
"He's a good age, he's 27 so Nik comes in with a different type of experience and that's what we need at the moment. He's a very likeable person.
"He's got experience and he's here to try and earn a longer-term contract. Because we've turned a deal around quickly, it's initially a short-term deal but if he does well and Max continues to play at the standard he has, then we'll see what the future brings.
"I think it's always important to try and stretch players. So every player at this football club, whether their future is here or not, they are playing for a contract somewhere and that is the bottom line. I don't worry about players knowing what their future is with us because if it's not with us, they are still playing for a contract somewhere. There have been examples of players falling foul of it."
The FA Cup often provides managers with the opportunity to make one or two changes to their starting XI but Pearson remained consistent in their third-round victory over Swansea by naming a strong side. That's unlikely to change against West Brom on Saturday meaning Haikin's debut may have to wait.
"I think you've seen in recent weeks we've tried to keep our strongest side out in the FA Cup," Pearson added. "We want to try and win the game and beat West Brom we're going to need a strong performance. There's not going to be many changes if any. Apart from Cam Pring who isn't available because he's suspended."
To facilitate Haikin's transfer, former club captain Bentley headed to the Premier League with Wolves. With the player entering the final six months of his contract and being a top earner in the squad, Pearson admitted the move made sense for all parties.
He added: "It's an opportunity for Dan. We are trying to reduce to wage bill so there's an element of that. It's a great opportunity for him so it's something that suited all parties as much as anything.
"Dan's contract was up at the end of the season and he knew his situation. He's one of the players that I'd spoken to quite early about his own personal situation but it was also important for us to not leave ourselves short and the two deals had to be synced to have any possibility of going through.
"Obviously with Stef going out on loan which is a different scenario. He needs games. How he is at the minute he's probably ready for us so it's good experience for him to go back to France given the experience he's had here. The underlier for Dan's situation is that he was one of our top earners so that can drive it to a certain extent."
His departure does mean the club will need to appoint a permanent captain. In Bentley's absence, Andi Weimann has worn the armband with Matty James sharing responsibility with the Austrian currently out injured.
"I've not discussed it with anybody," Pearson said when asked about the new captain. "Dan was really proud to be the captain. I spoke with him last night to wish him the best and it's something he spoke very passionately about, something he's cared a lot about and meant a lot to him.
"It's never easy to leave your captain out of the team but I'll probably allow the players to decide who they want. Because Andi has taken the armband up and Jamo has put it on if Andi isn't there and I've not had much input in that.
"For me, leadership in those types of situations is about. I'd quite like the players to have ownership of that so we'll see."
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