Struber 'not in driver's seat' as Burgzorg chase ends
Gerhard Struber has won 13 of his 31 games in charge of Bristol City, drawing seven and losing 11
- Published
Bristol City head coach Gerhard Struber has said he is "not in the driver's seat" regarding the club's transfer business after confirming a deal for Middlesbrough's Delano Burgzorg had fallen through.
The Robins have been linked with forward Burgzorg for a number of weeks with Struber repeatedly stating the club were "really close" to a deal.
However, Struber confirmed the move is now off with Middlesbrough wanting to keep the 27-year-old.
"It's a shame but it's not always in our hand. We were super close, everything was negotiated in a really good way but we get the stop signs from Middlesbrough," Struber told BBC Radio Bristol, following their 2-0 defeat to Ipswich.
"That's the reality in our world so I am not happy with that. Really disappointed, especially when you invest so much time with a player and convince this player to jump out maybe from a promotion club to us and I am really disappointed that we don't finalise this transfer."
Bristol City have signed midfielders Sam Morsy and George Earthy - the latter returning on loan - while Sturm Graz midfielder Tomi Horvat is on the club's "radar" to sign a pre-contract agreement and join in the summer.
But Struber has wanted to add another striker as a priority, to provide support and competition to Emil Riis and Sinclair Armstrong.
Defeat to Ipswich leaves Bristol City winless in their past five Championship games, which has seen them drop out of the top six to 11th.
Struber said he hoped they could still bring in another player before the deadline on 4 February, in order to be able to keep up with others around them in the play-off race, but that is ultimately up to club's recruitment team, not him.
Delano Burgzorg has made 25 appearances for Middlesbrough this season
"We are hopefully on a good way to realise the one or other player. We have to do it, especially when we look in the Championship what teams next to us invest, we also hope for us we make the next step," Struber added.
"I have a really big trust in my group here, on the same time everyone knows we would need a striker so I fight the last few months that we realise something.
"I love to have the goal that's so close [to] our nose at the moment with the play-off spots and this would help us in the end be more unpredictable, to bring a big hope in my group with one or other transfer.
"I want to support my recruitment team, I want to support the management but I am not on the driver's seat, I am the head coach."
