Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit issues Bristol City transfer warning after bold Gerhard Struber claims | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie has given his reaction to new Bristol City head coach Gerhard Struber's claim that his team will dominate games next season.

Pundit Lee Hendrie is confident that new Bristol City head coach Gerhard Struber will be a success at Ashton Gate, but he believes the club may need to improve the squad in order to play his ambitious style of football.

Bristol City finished sixth in the Championship last season, but they suffered a record-breaking 6-0 aggregate defeat to Sheffield United in their play-off semi-final, and they were dealt a further blow as boss Liam Manning departed for Norwich City earlier this month.

Former Luton Town manager Rob Edwards, who is now set to take over at Middlesbrough, was believed to be one of the names in the frame to replace Manning, but the Robins instead decided to appoint Struber, and the 48-year-old signed a three-year contract with the club on Thursday.

Struber's last managerial role came in Germany with FC Koln, where he was sacked last month with just two games of the season remaining, despite his side sitting second in the 2. Bundesliga table at the time, and he has also had spells in charge of the likes of New York Red Bulls and RB Salzburg in recent years.

The Austrian is no stranger to managing in the Championship having spent almost 11 months at the helm of Barnsley between November 2019 and October 2020, and he kept the Tykes in the division in dramatic fashion on the final day of the 2019-20 season with a last-minute win at Brentford.

After his arrival at Ashton Gate was confirmed, Struber revealed that he is keen for his City team to play with "high intensity", promising supporters that his team will "control" and "dominate" games next season with an "attractive brand of football".

Lee Hendrie sends transfer warning to Bristol City and Gerhard Struber

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Hendrie predicted that good times could be ahead for Bristol City under Struber, but he believes the new Robins head coach may need to upgrade his squad if he is to deliver the style of play he has promised.

"Gerhard Struber wants Bristol City to dominate games in the Championship with his style of play at Ashton Gate," Hendrie said.

"It's exciting times for them.

"I think they needed someone who was very similar to Liam Manning to come in and fit the bill and play that style and method of football, and he does that, there's no doubt about that.

"It is massively exciting times.

"I would say that for Bristol City, after going so close, they may need that little bit of elevation to go and bring players in to strengthen the squad they have and kick on this season."

Bristol City must back Gerhard Struber in the transfer market this summer

Bristol City did incredibly well to reach the play-offs in the Championship last season, but it is widely acknowledged that it was a poor race for the top six, and they could face much stronger competition in the upcoming campaign.

The Robins are believed to be closing in on the signing of Plymouth Argyle midfielder Adam Randell, and that would be an excellent start to their summer transfer business, but more new additions will be required if Struber is to match or better the sixth-placed finish Manning delivered last season, with the comprehensive play-off defeat against Sheffield United highlighting some of the limitations of the current squad.

As Hendrie said, Struber is a strong appointment for City, and his promise to implement an attractive, attacking brand of football should excite the Ashton Gate faithful, but it is important the club now give their new head coach the quality he needs to deliver on his bold words.