Nigel Pearson has been refreshingly vocal of late about his transfer desires ahead for the summer and, to his credit, one of the Bristol City manager’s maxims is to try and be open and honest with fans.
Having previously stated a longing for a proper defensive midfielder and a genuine right-back who can also play wing-back, the Robins boss stated earlier this month that the middle of defence will be a priority for him.
“Our main objective still is to have dominant centre-backs that can deal with the demands of the game," Pearson said. “We thought we were relatively strong, we've underachieved this year. So that remains the priority."
City have Tomas Kalas and Nathan Baker under contract beyond this summer as their established pros, but the latter has missed the last four months with concussion and uncertainty remains over his future.
Timm Klose was signed on a short-term deal until the end of the season and may well have done enough, especially regarding his fitness, to have earned an extension, while Rob Atkinson has shown plenty of promise in his debut Championship campaign.
Robbie Cundy has broken into the team of late and providing he maintains these performance levels could well be retained beyond this summer. But with doubts over Zak Vyner’s suitability at this level, plus Taylor Moore seemingly having no future at the club as he returns from his loan at Hearts, there appears to be a vacancy for at least one, if not two centre-backs.
Finances will be tight but there is a strong free agent market out there which City are surely to explore and we’ve highlighted six centre-back plying their trade in the Championship who fit Pearson’s brief or are well on their way to getting there…
Darragh Lenihan
The Blackburn captain is yet to sign a new deal at Ewood Park and has been linked with a move to New York Red Bulls, which immediately indicates his salary demands could be above what City are willing or able to offer.
But the 28-year-old completely fits the profile of what Pearson would want; strong in the air and on the deck with fantastic defensive awareness whose experience in the Championship stretches over five seasons.
It’s an ambitious shout, and there will be a number of clubs in the division considering the Irishman, no doubt, but if some room can be made on the wage bill through departures of certain high earners, he’s about as good as what’s available in the league beyond paying a transfer fee.
Eiran Cashin
At the other end of the experience scale, which may count him out slightly but the 20-year-old is emerging as one of the more exciting potential free agents this summer having broken into the Derby team this year and impressing with some real mature performances for the struggling side.
The Rams are not in a position to offer the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international a new deal, due to the ongoing ownership issues, which leads to a situation where it’s increasingly likely he’ll move on this summer for a small amount of compensation.
No longer a secret, he will be hotly contested and perhaps his age may rule him out of Pearson’s thinking, but with so much potential and a fascinating ceiling, as much as anything, it looks a pretty sound investment.
Alfie Mawson
Yes, we know - injuries, and specifically his knees. Which is why any offers to Mawson have to be sensible in terms of contract length and, given the market, one club could take a punt and secure him with a three-year or greater deal.
City’s experiences with the 28-year-old should dissuade that sort of thinking but if you can keep him fit for a significant part of a season, and he hasn’t had any problems at Fulham this term albeit playing limited minutes, he’s an elite level centre-back.
It’s a gamble, but his attributes are such that if the right salary and length can be struck, his familiarity with Tomas Kalas (and the two were very good together in the games they played) makes him certainly worth thinking about.
Naby Sarr
The same age as Mawson and although he’s part of a Huddersfield team enjoying a fine season in the upper echelons of the standings, the Frenchman hasn’t been first-choice and irrespective of what division the Terriers will be in next season, the signs point towards him being released.
His 6ft 6ins frame very much fits the bill for Pearson and he’s enjoyed two full seasons in the Championship, for Charlton and Huddersfield, plus his wages are likely to be at a far more agreeable level than many others on this list.
Is left-footed which increased his appeal, if Timm Klose isn’t retained and doubts remain over Nathan Baker, plus he’s far more than just a big physical presence at the back as he’s comfortable on the ball and can build from the back.
Yoann Barbet
A ubiquitous presence in Championship defences for Brentford and now QPR, the Frenchman is another left-footer who’s also of a good age (28) and possesses the requisite knowhow for what Pearson demands from a centre-back.
Capable of playing in a back three - as he does for QPR - or even a left-back, he is very Nathan Baker-like but his durability has ensured he’s started at least 30 games in four of the last five seasons.
QPR boss Mark Warburton declared in January he wants to offer Barbet a new deal but there have been no updates since which means he may be exploring options on the open market.
Tim Ream
We’re at the upper end of the experience scale now and if Klose is offered a new contract, that could rule out a move for the 34-year-old American but if you want Championship nous, ball-playing ability and leadership at the heart of defence. Well, look no further.
Working on purely guesswork, should Fulham secure promotion - which looks increasingly likely - Ream’s fate may be sealed as Marco Silva looks to regenerate his defence for the Premier League.
Wages could be an issue plus the fear of facing Antoine Semenyo in training each week... but he's also at a stage of his career where minutes probably matter more to him than money.
There could also be the consideration by the defender that he wants to return home but if a short-term deal could be struck, he’d surely help address a lot of the organisational issues at the heart of the Robins backline.
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