Richard Gould was the last man standing at the Robins High Performance Centre in the final hours of the summer window. The light of his office illuminated a small portion of the training pitch at Failand as the clock struck 11pm and little had materialised for Bristol City.
Not that the Robins expected to be busy, Nigel Pearson had long turned in and was largely content with his squad, but the CEO was on standby in case any late deals went through in the Championship that could present an opportunity, both in terms of incomings or outgoings.
A similar situation is likely to transpire today as City will effectively be dictated by what happens elsewhere regarding their rivals in the division.
To put it bluntly, and as Pearson himself admitted on Saturday, they are not in a financial position to force any kind of issue but as players elsewhere move on, and replacements are then sought, that enables City to shed some of the more peripheral members of their squad.
As it stands, absolutely nothing could happen today given Pearson has addressed his fundamental position of need with the acquisition of Timm Klose as a free agent.
Although it wasn’t a priority at the start of the window, Nathan Baker’s concussion prognosis coupled with Rob Atkinson back and calf issues and the Robins aerial vulnerability against Fulham and Luton Town, helped change focus.
With Klose delivering a strong 90-minute showing at Deepdale, if the Swiss can remain fit - which was an issue for him towards the end of his time at Norwich City - the Robins are reinforced in the centre of defence.
However, that isn’t to say the City manager wouldn’t like to make additions in other areas, most notably right full-back and potentially midfield, although the idea of two signings being concluded today seems ambitious.
With George Tanner sidelined at least until the end of the month with a hamstring injury, and Danny Simpson not troubling the first team, Pearson's only recognised right-back, as such, is Zak Vyner. And as impressive as Alex Scott has been at wing-back, ultimately his benefit to the team is greater when he's in central midfielder.
Similarly Jay Dasilva, who appears to have played his way back into Pearson's thinking which is credit to the 23-year-old, is doing a job on that flank, but a more natural right-sided defender is coveted, for obvious reasons.
Midfield has looked incredibly dynamic in recent matches with the exciting Massengo and Scott combination but with Andy King's absence potentially an extended one due to his second hamstring injury of the campaign and Matty James' foot problem not sufficiently healed, and a danger it could flare up again, with Tyreeq Bakinson now at Ipswich, options do look thin there.
The early month requirements for a central striker have now been completely extinguished due to Antoine Semenyo’s stunning form since returning to the team in December, which has enabled Chris Martin to come back rejuvenated after his time out of the squad.
Indeed, such is the form of Semenyo that Nahki Wells now looks increasingly expendable and now appears to have overtaken Kasey Palmer as the player most likely to leave Ashton Gate on deadline day.
As mentioned, his fate is tied to movement elsewhere, in particular Kieffer Moore’s destination; the Wales international has long been a target for Bournemouth and the Cherries appear to be the busiest in the division on deadline day.
Dorset Live are reporting a £3.5million fee has been agreed for the striker, worth a further £1.5m in add-ons, and the expectation is that if that transfer is concluded, which increasingly appears likely, that will then cause the Bluebirds to enter the market once again for an attacking player.
Bristol Live understands the feelers were put out at the end of last week, in anticipation of Moore’s move potentially happening, and two names proposed to them were Wells and Palmer.
Steve Morison didn’t reveal much after their 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday, mainly because that would by extension then all-but confirm Moore was leaving.
"There are loads of irons in the fire if I need to react to anything. But as of now, no,” was the pertinent line.
City are happy to let Wells go, given his status as a higher earner and the fact he has played so few minutes this season - 17th overall in the squad - and retaining someone who is now in -effect a fourth-choice forward who is proving a drain on the wage bill just doesn’t make financial sense.
But any deal for the Bermudian would have to be of considerable financial benefit for the Robins and both a loan and permanent deal could be on the table, again depending on what happens with Moore.
If it’s the latter, City would want a significant contribution to his wages to alleviate said-financial burden and, quite simply, make it worth their while of allowing a team eight points below them in the table a proven Championship-level striker.
The caveat to all this is Wells himself who may well be against the move, unless he is guaranteed playing time in the Welsh capital; why swap City’s bench for Cardiff’s given he is relatively happy, on a personal level, in the South West.
Bristol Live understands that Peterborough United asked about Wells earlier in the window and the 31-year-old declared no interest of uprooting his family and moving to a team in serious danger of relegation to League One.
Having looked close to an exit earlier in the window, interest in Palmer has gone quiet but that’s not to say the playmaker won’t be a person of interest over the course of the day.
QPR appear to have moved on, not willing to meet his wages at this stage, especially as Jamie Paterson’s situation at Swansea City makes him a more affordable option at No10, should they convince the Swans to part with the former City midfielder.
Birmingham City’s signing of Leandro Bacuna last week has ended their interest and that link, as excited as Lee Bowyer was by the potential of bringing the Robins playmaker in, is now said to be dead.
City refused an Adam Nagy-style permanent move of the Blues effectively taking on his salary for nothing, holding out for some kind of fee for the 24-year-old but as they waited, Bowyer turned his sights elsewhere.
Palmer though could come into play for Cardiff should they want to reinforce in the final third in lieu of Moore’s likely departure and also Millwall, if Nottingham Forest are successful in prising Jed Wallace away from south west London.
That being said, the Lions have only shown a desire to take Palmer on a temporary basis and the message remains - he doesn’t want a loan move, having experienced too many already in his career and with a young family to consider.
If he is to leave BS3, it will have to be on a permanent or a loan with an obligation to buy. How possible that is remains to be seen, but it’s certainly narrowed options, at least until the summer.
Both player and manager are open to the prospect of him remaining at City beyond tonight and there is a chance, should an alternative destination not be found, that he could play for the Under-23s tomorrow against Cardiff to build his match fitness and help him integrate back into the first-team environment.
City have held a theory, relevant to the cases of Palmer and Wells, that it will be easier to sell them in the summer when the market is more flexible.
Any fears of Han-Noah Massengo departing Ashton Gate look to have subsided with the bold pledge from the German media of Frieburg willing to pay £6m for the Frenchman simply not transpiring beyond those words.
Likewise, Alex Scott should remain a City player, at least until the summer, where interest could then really step up after the midfield duo have then completed a campaign of impressive development.
There is a sense, however, that there could some late window interest in fellow young talent Antoine Semenyo whose fine performances this month have not gone unnoticed.
However, with City holding a high valuation of the 22-year-old, who is under contract until 2023 with an option of a further 12 months, it would take a lot to prise him away from the West Country at this stage of the season.
SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate
