Bristol City need to reinvest any summer transfer fees on proven Championship quality' The Sky Sports presenter give her verdict on the Robins season that was. By Michelle Owen At the end of the Sheffield United defeat on Sunday afternoon, Lee Johnson told me it summed Bristol City up this season. When they are playing good football they are really good, but when they are as bad as they were in the first half it just is not good enough. Like the game, it has been a season of two halves. Gregor and I began reviewing the season this week on the Robins On The Wire podcast, and I have to say the first episode was rather enjoyable and positive because it was just that for the Robins. There were few defeats and some pretty football on display. On reflection, it all came to a climax on that late December night in BS3, when the squad played brilliantly to overcome one of the biggest teams in the world Manchester United. Very few times have I ever experienced an atmosphere like that night at Ashton Gate and I imagine for all Bristol City fans it goes down as the highlight of the season. Straight after there were a couple of positive results, it was impressive how they were able to play so well against QPR just a few days later and get a point and then beat Reading on Boxing Day. However, the defeat against Wolves is something City never recovered from. It was a bitter blow at the time to concede the late winner to the eventual Champions, and from there they never really picked up form in the league again. The Robins put up a brave fight against Manchester City, two thoroughly entertaining games where they ran the Premier League Champions so close. There was the talk of the cup run affecting Bristol City’s play-off and promotion ambitions. Johnson said a few times he had to keep “flogging” the players due to his lack of options, and this is where the transfer window could have been used more wisely. At the time it looked positive, they kept their big players when there was speculation and brought in three new signings. As it turned out Lois Diony didn’t work out at all, Ryan Kent showed flashes of brilliance but ultimately didn’t fit in or fill the boots of the injured Callum O’Dowda. Liam Walsh has done OK and could be one for next season but has yet to make a big impact. I am sure lessons will be learnt from this, as much as fans may want to see more money spent, the club is run as sustainably as possible. Famara Diedhiou is the record signing at £5.2 million and has done very well, I would think it unlikely Bristol City will go far over that this summer and would be very surprised if they broke the ten million pound mark which some Championship players now go for. I do think that the Robins could get a decent amount of money for some players expected to leave. Joe Bryan, if he goes, has to be worth around eight to ten million although he doesn’t have long left on his contract. Bobby Reid also doesn’t have long left and could fetch a sizeable sum with all the goals he has bagged in his new position as striker this season. Marlon Pack is another one whose future must be discussed, and after Aden Flint not being entirely convincing about his future in the press conference last week he could go too, and with longer left on his deal he could be worth a fair bit. If the above players leave you’d hope the money will be reinvested, City like to invest in young talent but if they want to compete for the Premier League next season they may also need to spend a bit more on proven quality Championship players. It is going to be an interesting summer. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/bristol-city-need-reinvest-any-1554110
If we sell our players of Championship quality or higher then it goes without saying they should be replaced by players of the same or better skill levels or experience. Have we got enough ambition to make the next step ( Top six and promotion as SL stated), it really makes me wonder.
I don't think there's a single approach that can be taken to player recruitment - every potential signing needs to be made on its own merits. It's very easy to spend an awful lot of money on 'proven' talents without it guaranteeing success. Jordan Rhodes was probably a good example from last summer. Fans will always have the advantage of being able to judge with the 20/20 vision that comes with hindsight. I personally think the squad is a decent size now and the core group of players should be reaching the age where they are reaching their peak, so we should probably be looking for quality over quantity. Every summer transfer window is important, but maybe this one especially for us, depending on whether Bryan and Reid stay or go and who else comes in could be a big part of whether we can mount a genuine push for the playoffs or fall back into obscurity.
This summer window is the time when Lee has to get it right otherwise we could end up struggling next season and if he fails ten he should go. Having said that I can appreciate what a difficult job it is to get the right blend to sustain a challenge for the playoffs, or even better, and I wish him well and good luck in his remit. I am sure the task at hand has already been the subject of discussions over the coffee breaks at Ashton Gate as well as in the minds of most supporters. Some difficult decisions have to be made and probably the first on that list is our retained players (interesting start to the summer) and I noticed only 3 Championship teams have come out with their's so far. I know we possibly already have some targets in mind as new players and I suspect those decisions will be based on who's left from this season to complete the mix needed to go one better next time out. To me experience counts for a lot and regrettably the signing of GON did not work out as expected due to his injuries but nonetheless a sound footballing brain that has done the rounds, at the right level, is invaluable to the overall squad. It's only a thought in my mind but how would Tammy returning to the fold tickle your taste buds, because in all honesty he seems to have become a bit part player at Swansea and he might like a change of air to put him back on track. The chance of that happening is probably remote but I liked the young man and I think he liked us and the thought of him and Diedhou up front tickles my fancy but then again - I'm easy. I can't see us breaking the bank to bring in new players and if you look at the 6 million quid players who didn't want to join us a few years ago (Gayle and Gray ) it just goes to prove some players will never live up to the media hype and often the quiet players can do the job better. Finding the "under the radar" players is difficult at best and I wish City luck in getting things sorted so we can keep our form consistently rather than having two vastly different halves to the same season. I notice Robert Huth is up for grabs and he's the kind of player we need to shore up our midfield and defence and I also think we need to up the ante in the goalkeeping department and use Frank as our second place shot stopper because he is more than capable of taking over in times of crisis.
Tammy Abraham is only on loan to Swansea this season, so I suspect Chelsea will be looking to loan him out next season. With their manager change could hold things up until that’s sorted. I did get told today that Joe Bryan’s house is gone up for sale in the past few days. That was by someone who supports city and drives to work past his house.
