Captain Kalas to lead Robins

The Czech Republic defender has worn the armband on several occasions in his 65 appearances since arriving at Ashton Gate in the summer of 2018 and the 27-year-old central defender now takes on the full-time role in BS3.

And a proud Kalas said: “I feel very honoured to be a captain of such a great club as Bristol City and to be a captain of this team, this bunch of people whom I have got to know over last couple years, and I can’t wait for where this journey together will take us.

“For me personally it won’t change much as I want to stay the same person and be who I am. I want to be there for the young lads and to help them to shine and I also want to be there for the more experienced guys even more than I have been.

“I believe in one thing and that is that team is worth more than any individual talent and so I want to be an example of a team player and I believe the rest of the lads will follow.”

Dean Holden on appointing Tomas Kalas as #BristolCity captain! 👇 pic.twitter.com/G407JSzj9X

— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) September 12, 2020

Head Coach Dean Holden told Robins TV: “What I want in a captain is a winning mentality, someone who puts demands on himself and others and goes the extra mile to help people around him on the pitch.

“Tomas is a fantastic player and someone I have got a lot of time for as a person. He is a bit different – and I like that. He was really excited when I spoke to him and feels really honoured and proud to be captain of this football club.

“I had it in the back of my mind in the early part of pre-season. I just wanted to watch and see how things developed and pretty quickly I was sure that Tomas was the man and I am looking forward to him leading our team our this season.”

Holden believes Kalas can draw on a wealth of leaders within the City squad, saying: “Certainly on the pitch we have got a lot of experience who can help Tomas along the way. Most players don’t need the armband to be a leader. We are trying to develop leaders from within, and from within our young players. Every day in training, in meetings, we encourage them to become leaders.”