Gary Johnson insists Bristol City's longest-serving players deserve credit for the club's success in the transfer market this summer.

City's manager initiated a partial rebuild when bringing in eight new players before the transfer window slammed shut last week.

Among these were established internationals Paul Hartley, David Clarkson, Lewin Nyatanga, Alvaro Saborio and Dutch maestro Evander Sno.

Their presence at Ashton Gate merely confirms City's transition from small fish to major player in the Coca-Cola Championship marketplace. And Johnson was quick to praise the class of 2007, who earned automatic promotion from League One and a return to the second tier for the first time almost a decade.

"Those lads deserve a lot of credit, because they are the ones who have put this club where it is now," said Johnson.

"These are not the kind of players Bristol City were signing even a few seasons ago and the fact the likes of Alvaro Saborio and Evander Sno are prepared to come here speaks volumes.

"It is because the lads who have been here a few years have been so successful, that players of their ilk have heard of Bristol and want to come and play for the club.

"Winning promotion helped, but reaching the play-off final at Wembley two seasons ago was crucial. That's when people first sat up and took notice. It's the reason overseas players and agents now know about Bristol City.

"They know we're ambitious and that look to do things the right way."

He added: "We've done our best to look after the group that got us this far and most of them have signed new contracts.

"We don't want them to feel left out amid all the new signings and they have been told they figure in our plans for the future.

"This is all part of building the squad we need to cope with what is always a very tough season in the Championship. We're getting stronger all the time and now have genuine competition in every position."

City have become the subject of increased transfer speculation during the past two seasons, a factor chairman Steve Lansdown attributes to the club's new-found status as Premier League wannabes.

He said: "Agents are using our name now in order to drum up interest in their players.

"That's something that simply didn't happen when we were in League One. It's not always helpful, but it's a sign of how far the club has come in a short space of time.

"Sometimes, we're linked with players I've never even heard of and it's because agents know that we're now in the marketplace for top players and able to compete with most clubs in the Championship."