Struber 'really happy' transfer window is closed

Bristol City head coach Gerhard Struber said he is "really happy" the transfer window has finished as it was affecting the energy in his team.

The Robins brought in six signings this winter, including Tomi Horvat and Noah Eile on deadline day, while top scorer Anis Mehmeti and long-serving Zak Vyner were among nine to depart.

City have just one win in their past five league games against bottom of the table Sheffield Wednesday and were thrashed 5-0 at home by Derby in their most recent outing.

"I'm really happy we finished the transfer window, with all the topics going on, we lose many players and this affects the energy in the group," Struber told BBC Radio Bristol.

"We have discussion points and also players are only human beings and when you lose players on a good level these are team-mates but much more also friends, [there is a] big friendship between them."

Struber said there is a "new spirit" in the group as a result of the new players which could mark a fresh start as they look to reignite their play-off push.

"We were sometimes not [as] professional what I normally know from my boys and in the whole group, it's good now that we finish the transfer window, and now we move on, we keep going in our way of football," he added.

"We have interesting players in our roster right now and with the new players a new spirit and now we have to create here the normal togetherness."

Struber described the club's transfer window as "OK" on the whole, with a "really good job" done in the final two days when midfielder Horvat - who was originally due to arrive in the summer - and defender Eile signed from Sturm Graz and New York Red Bulls.

He suggested Slovenian international Horvat could feature soon with City travelling to third-placed Hull on Saturday (15:01 GMT).

"What we lose with Anis Mehmeti we have [in] Tomi Horvat, he has also high technical ability, he is also a player who takes responsibility for scorer moments and he has to jump from a education league in Austria in [to] a very competitive Championship," he said.

"We don't want to wait a few weeks; he is in a rhythm, he has some games behind him, he played the last two weeks and so this could go very quick that he come in game time."

Eile however has had limited game time since September, with the Major League Soccer season concluding in October, and Struber said the club need to assess him first.

The Robins could receive a defensive boost however for the trip north with Rob Atkinson doing "a lot better" and possibly in the frame to return from an ankle injury.