Gerhard Struber sheds early light on Bristol City January transfer plan with Reds owner 'hungry'

Bristol City and Gerhard Struber will be able to make new additions to their ranks when the transfer window opens again in JanuaryGerhard Struber made five signings in his first transfer window in charge of Bristol City(Image: Photo by David Watts/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Bristol City are “searching at the moment” for one or another player they could sign during the January transfer window, Gerhard Struber has confirmed, with the Robins boss of the belief that the club’s owner, Steve Lansdown, is “hungry this season.”

Following the appointment of Struber as Liam Manning’s replacement in June, the Reds made five additions to their ranks over the course of the summer transfer window. Adam Randell, Joe Lumley, and Emil Riis all made the permanent switch to Ashton Gate, while Radek Vitek and Neto Borges arrived in the West Country on loan from Manchester United and Middlesbrough, respectively.

Struber had made no secret of his desire to add another attacking player to his squad in the final days of the window, but ultimately, Borges proved to be the final arrival in BS3 when his temporary move was confirmed less than 24 hours before the transfer deadline.

With the winter window now just a little over two months away, the Robins don’t have to wait too long for their next opportunity to add to their ranks. While last January came and went without a single addition being made – albeit after a busy summer – Struber is keen to use the opportunity to bolster his playing group.

When asked if he’d already had conversations looking ahead to the next transfer window, the head coach said, “Yes, I’m in a really good exchange with my owner and we are searching at the moment for the one or other player that can help us.

“We have a big trust in this group. We have to bring players back from injuries, and then we want to use, of course, the transfer window in January.

“I would say, also, our owner is hungry this season.”

Despite seeing their options in several key positions, particularly central midfield, reduced by injury in the opening weeks of the Championship season, the Robins have impressed in the opening months of Struber’s tenure at Ashton Gate.

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Ahead of their trip to the Bet365 Stadium to face Stoke City on Saturday afternoon, City find themselves fourth in the Championship, six points adrift of table-toppers Coventry City, having claimed 22 points from their opening 12 matches. Three of the Reds’ six wins have come in the three games played since the October international break came to an end.

Although it is still incredibly early in the season, the second tier appears to be wide open this term, with no runaway leaders in the mould of Leeds United, Burnley, and Sheffield United this time around. Naturally, that has led to suggestions that this year could represent a window of opportunity for the Reds and other sides to finally make the jump to the top flight.

Like the majority of supporters, Struber has been more than pleased with what he has seen from his players, both in terms of results and performances, so far. However, the Austrian knows that there will be plenty more twists and turns to come before anything is decided in May.

“I would say that the momentum is really good and we invest a lot in the way, so it is not a coincidence that we are in the spot of the table at the moment,” Struber explained. “But [if] you show the consistency over a whole season, I think this makes the big difference.

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“I can remember how often the race will start, and the big race starts in December and January, when you have so many games and so many things can happen in a very short time that changes the table in all directions. Many, many clubs always surprise every season, right now it’s a completely different picture than two or three months before, so I think, yes, the table is nice at the moment, but not more.

“We have to invest, we have to be clear, we are not flying, we need what we have to do, and I think this is right now, super important. We believe in us, we know we have a really good quality here of players, we have a really good mix of players – younger players, experienced players, players that know the Championship really well – and I think in this way, it’s a really good mix of players that we have here.

“We will fight, of course, and it’s not always only money that makes the difference. It’s the team, the teamwork, the spirit and the style of play, and I think we have some interesting rulebreakers and right now, until now, we can see that many teams have a little bit of topics to handle that.”

Gerhard Struber sheds early light on Bristol City January transfer plan with Reds owner ‘hungry’

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