Exclusive: Pressure on Bristol City as Premier League clubs circle Josh Brownhill Robins captain is a wanted man Bristol City are under pressure to agree a new contract with on-field club captain Josh Brownhill. The dynamic box-to-box midfielder has arguably been the Robins' player of the season after match-winning goals against Charlton Athletic and Cardiff City in recent weeks but that has only further alerted suitors in the Premier League. Bristol Live understands that several clubs in England's top division would like to sign the 23-year-old in the January transfer window but that Brownhill is desperate to achieve promotion with Bristol City this season. However, Lee Johnson and CEO Mark Ashton must agree a new deal in the near future or possibly face losing the player next summer. Sheffield United were leading the chase for the central midfielder in the summer, while Leicester City were linked with the former Preston man a year ago. Brighton have watched the player of late too. The Robins must tie up their most consistent player this season or face the prospect of losing the midfielder next summer. Brownhill is a big fan of Lee Johnson, and vice-versa, with pals Callum O'Dowda and Taylor Moore having agreed new terms with City in recent months - and attention within BS3 now turns to Brownhill, who last signed a deal at the end of 2017. With just 18 months to run on his deal - as reported previously by Bristol Live - the City hierarchy must snap up the key player to a new contract or risk losing the player next summer. Bristol City fans are realistic enough to know that the club will contemplate the sale of Brownhill in the summer of 2020 if the Robins are not promoted themselves. And few City fans would begrudge the former Manchester United schoolboy from making the move to the top division if City are unable next season. A vital period is approaching in the future of the Manchester City supporter, and fans will hope that after the sales of Bobby Reid, Joe Bryan, Lloyd Kelly and Aden Flint, times may be different. The finances in the EFL may dictate otherwise, however. The coming months may prove key. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport...clusive-pressure-bristol-city-premier-3546943
Josh Brownhill is worth big bucks and we sell our big assets to balance our books as a matter of habit now, it makes you wonder will we hold on to our quality players and go for glory or sell them, stablise and keep a steady Championship side.
Clearly the club is a selling club and if the bucks are offered they will sell. We have Korey coming back and Messengo and Palmer and Nagy. He will be sold.
One thing RR - if we have a reputation of getting players, developing them and selling them on to better things - then youngsters are more likely to come to us To an extent LJ is the opposite to GJ in this respect
Agree 100% however caught on this if city have aspirations of premiership football you need to keep your better players. If there sold continually then it is going to be very hard.
Most players want to play at the highest level in their short careers. I can’t blame them for that. If we get promoted then he’ll stay with us. If we don’t then anything could happen.
It's true, but how many times have we lost out better players, only to then be surprised by how much better the replacements are? Reid and Flint definitely spring to mind.
Yeh have to agree on that one especially Flint-Reid we have not replaced his goals but was it a one season wonder ? before that he was struggling to get into the team.
That’s a good point, better young players will be attracted to us knowing we develop players well and allow them to then move hopefully to the Prem. I’m sure , along with actually getting game time that was what attracted Massengo to us. Long may it continue, of course unless at some point we can actually get promotion ourselves some would argue what’s the point.
'Long may it continue, of course unless at some point we can actually get promotion ourselves some would argue what’s the point'. LJ starts his 5th year as HC on February 6th. Be fair, GJ did a brilliant for City on a relative shoestring compared to LJ. Was GJ allowed 60 signings in his first 3+ years in charge ? Nothing to do with LJ being opposite to GJ . Financial circumstance/backing is the sole reason LJ is able to spread his net so wide.
He doesn’t understand we are spending more , but also receiving more for players we sale. It’s called inflation, actually that’s not true it’s just prices have gone crazy in football, you have to live in the now.
I think that a lot of our recent financial ‘freedom’ can be attributed to that Mark Ashton chap. His dealing in the transfer market, both buying and selling, have been mostly brilliant - there are a couple of exceptions (Diony etc) but we are in reasonable financial shape and within FFP largely due to him - which means we CAN release funds for players.
I agree, however it’s not that easy finding a striker within our budget that wants to come here and will be a top level championship striker, Fam is a decent championship striker, he cost around £5m and is probably worth a similar amount and if played , and without injury/suspension etc will get 10-15 goals a season. The type we need would be over double that , then there’s the wages And also him actually wanting to come , oh and then There’s the DNA , not quite so easy now is it? Afobe cost £12m, and the only reason he was prepared to come here is because it didn’t work at Stoke and we gave him an opportunity to kick start his career , without that he wouldn’t have even considered us.
I've always felt with Fammy that there was a good player in there somewhere. The last game he played, albeit curtailed, has almost convinced me. Would love to see him and Afobe in the same team.