Liam Manning reveals the third position he would like to sign and drops a hint at Bristol City

Liam Manning has revealed he also has a full-back on his summer shopping list and the Bristol City boss is confident he will be backed by the board as any arrivals can provide both improved quality and depth to his squad.

It has long been recognized that City’s main targets in the next window are a physical No9 who is a different type of striker to Tommy Conway and Nahki Wells and a crafted No10, either called Scott Twine or in that form.

The Robins loaned out Dire Mebude in January to try and provide pace and trickery in wide areas, but the 19-year-old has made just three bare substitute appearances and clearly hasn’t proven to Manning on the training ground that he’s fit . the level of pursuing anything beyond what eventually became a glorified probationary period.

With the Scotland Under-21 international returning to KVC Westerlo in Belgium, outside of emerging talent Elijah Morrison, who made his debut in the penultimate game of last season, City have no natural winger outside of Mark Sykes, with Sam. Bell more of a wide forward and Anis Mehmeti an inside forward.

Speaking on BBC Radio Bristol, Manning also indicated that the likely additions would need to be as Championship-ready as possible, unlike someone like Mebude, as the Robins would require a short-term return on their investment.

“I have a number, but I’m afraid to give it away in case I’m held by it: We need a 10, we need a 9, and we need a wing, eventually,” Manning said for Ed Hadwin at Sound of the City. “In terms of depth, competition; We’ve already got some really talented players in those areas, but when you look at the balance of the squad, the make-up, having different profiles is important, so those are things we’ll be looking to do.

“And the mix of people who are ready now versus potential, I think that’s the key to getting it right – we’ve got to add people who can go and score goals now, who’ve either got a taste for the level or show the level, whether it’s in England or abroad, they’re able to hit the ground running, that’s the key part. Although we’re not completely moving away from who we are as a group and what we’re trying to recruit.

“It’s a challenge, the fees involved, so you have to be smart, you still have to be smart, but in terms of what we want to do, it’s mainly top notch.”

Manning and technical director Brian Tinnion have previously outlined their requirements in terms of the type of striker they would like. The latter used the phrase “a No9 with presence but we don’t want to lose the run” when discussing the subject in February, and the head coach wants options beyond his trusted duo of Conway and Wells.

The pair have proved interchangeable during their seven months in charge, with one often replacing the other in the second half of matches, but due to their similarities as quick, athletic forwards who like to run in behind, City was not always able to change. their approach to the game.

A more conventional No9 would allow for this, using the width from the full-backs and also, in theory, helping the Robins escape their nagging inability to beat teams sitting in a low block.

“It’s not necessarily going to change what we try and do, but we have the option in the game to make adjustments and find different ways to be successful,” Manning added. “I love Nahki and Tommy, I think they’re great and they’ve done a great job, but he has that option if all of a sudden in the last 15-20 minutes of a game you need to be a little bit more. direct, or more crosses, or you spend less time setting up and there’s less space behind the opposition, so you have to be a bit more direct. It only has the option of being able to change game to game or game to game.

“There aren’t a lot of profiles out there and forwards and 9s in general command the highest fees, and rightly so, for what they do. It’s a tough market, but one we can do business in.”

That striker looks increasingly likely to come from beyond England due to the lack of options to suit the skills City want and how inflated valuations tend to be for Premier League and EFL footballers.

“Very good, I’ve done it several times, I’ve worked with many nationalities,” added Manning, who previously worked with a Belgian multinational team at Lommel SK. “It opens up a huge market, a huge number of players and sometimes you get value for your money when you look overseas. This is the challenge in terms of competition in England.

“It is something we will look at, but there are elements of risk involved. We have to do a huge amount of work behind the scenes to make sure we try to mitigate as much risk as possible by: what is the success of people transferring from that country to the Championship? What is their physical profile like? do they speak english Because it is something that speeds up the process. Have they lived abroad before?

“There are so many factors you can find out before you do it to try and minimize that risk, so it’s something I’m totally open to and it’s a market that, if you look at the Championship clubs over the course of the season last. they’ve had varying levels of success, but it’s definitely an area we’ll be looking at.”

Understandably, the need to attack additions means this summer’s budget could be a bit bigger than in previous windows. City spent around £4.5m 12 months ago on Rob Dickie, Haydon Roberts, Ross McCrorie and Jason Knight, but this was amply offset by the £25m sale of Alex Scott to Bournemouth and the £10.5m they earned from the Cherries in the previous window for Antoine Semenyo.

With no major sales likely, as Conway would be sold due to his contract situation, he is yet to receive the fees above, but speaking last week, also to BBC Radio Bristol, chairman Jon Lansdown claimed that while there is a budget in force, the club can still be “flexible”.

For the second time, Manning also not-so-subtly suggested he’d like his own ambition for where he thinks this team can go to match what’s available on the balance sheet.

“The parameters and the discussions are still ongoing on that, just to finalize it, but I joined the club and the biggest part was the ambition, the drive, the goal of where we want to go and the only way. that’s what you do with the actions you show in the summer,” Manning added.

“I am fully aware that there are levels and that certain teams will spend fortunes, other teams will spend very little and other clubs in the middle, where they will invest an amount that keeps them competitive and allows them to progress, which is, for me, the key. That we are able to bring in people who allow us to progress and move forward.”

City have done the vast majority of their preparation in terms of identifying and scouting players – with Manning stating towards the end of the season that he intends to attend a few games as various leagues wind down – while some initial discussions have also taken place. . But everyone is still playing a waiting game as they wait for the Premier League campaign to end this weekend and for various managers and technical directors to make decisions on individuals.

One of which we know is directly linked to City will be Burnley’s position on Twine as the Clarets prepare for life in the Championship, where the 24-year-old previously played for Vincent Kompany but has eased back from to the injury in the second half. of their 2022/23 promotion campaign.

“A lot ends when the Premier League ends,” Manning said. “We want to be proactive, we want to do as much as possible in the pre-season, but you have to wait until the Premier League is over before decisions are made about certain players and the knock-on effect with the players who are gone. contract, players who are available for transfer – you don’t tend to find that out until the Premier League is over, so you have to be a little bit patient with that.

“But the plan is there, we’re pretty clear about what we need and you have to be competitive, but it’s not everything and the alignment here with training, what we do on the pitch, the clarity and the profile of the player. – We’re working extremely closely with Sean and the recruiting guys – it’s our job to present the right options to try to overcome them to allow us to move forward.

“So there’s a lot of things, it’s not just the money spent. Obviously, it plays a key role, but if you want to be successful, there are elements where you have to exceed your budget as well.”

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