Speaking to the Bristol Post, Lee Johnson has confirmed that he believes his Bristol City squad is still short of four players heading into the Sky Bet Championship season.

Johnson’s side welcome Barnsley to Ashton Gate at the weekend, for what will be the beginning of the club’s third season back in the second-tier.

Johnson has guided Bristol to safety on two occasions, and is now preparing for his second full season in charge at Ashton Gate.

The Robins have made three summer signings, with Eros Pisano arriving from Hellas Verona, Famara Diedhiou has also been signed for a club-record fee along with the club’s most recent new arrival, Nathan Baker.

However, Bristol have lost Lee Tomlin to Cardiff City already this summer, and will be without the on-loan service of Tammy Abraham heading into the new campaign.

Reviewing the depth of his squad, Johnson said: “We are four players light really in the squad that should be ready for the Championship.

“So we would like to bring in another couple but I do feel boys’ spirit is good and the moral going into the season is exactly where it needed to be.”

Despite Johnson’s admission that Bristol’s squad is still short of players heading into the new season, there could be one high-profile departure between now and the end of the summer.

Aden Flint is attracting interest from Leeds United and Birmingham City, and reports suggest that Bristol are ready to cash in on the defender, following the arrival of Baker last week.

Johnson stated last month that Bristol had received no bids for Flint so far this summer.

The Verdict

With under a week until the start of the Championship season, the general feeling is that Bristol City’s squad does look understrength.

Supporters will be pleased with Johnson acknowledging the need for reinforcements, and will be hoping more forward thinking players are added to help replace Tomlin and Abraham.

It remains to be seen if Diedhiou can replicate Abraham’s goalscoring exploits, but as things stand, the chance of a successful season is resting on his inexperienced shoulders.

Bristol City fans… Let us know your thoughts!