Jason Knight exit fear raised at Bristol City - "Everton would be a very good club for him" | OneFootball

City may struggle to hold onto their standout midfielder this summer.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Jason Knight's standout role in Bristol City's play-off-making campaign has earned him some Premier League attention.

At 24-years-old, the Irishman hasn't had the opportunity to play at the highest level of English football. He came through Derby County's youth system before the Robins bought him two summers ago for around £2 million. Now the captain is being linked with a move to Everton and the chance to play in front of more than 52,000 at their brand-new stadium.

Surprisingly for a Championship footballer, Knight has already proved that he is one of the best in Europe in one particular category: winning the ball back.

He led the rest of the players in the continent with 293 ball recoveries in the 2024/25 term, as per FBRef. The Irish international was ahead of world-class players like Pedri, Bruno Fernandes and Joshua Kimmich in this metric, so it's no wonder that David Moyes likes the look of him.

Bristol City sent Jason Knight, Everton warning

For Tom Sandy, one of Football League World's Robins fan pundits, City's skipper is their most crucial player. He fears that, because of his brilliant season, it may be hard to them to hold onto Knight beyond this summer.

"Our club's most valuable player right now is easily Jason Knight," Sandy said. "He had the most ball recoveries in all of Europe this season. He led the league in that stat but also minutes played - he featured in every single minute of the Championship season.

"He was also very high up for progressive passes, passes into the final third. I think he was top three or something ridiculous like that. The guy can do everything, and he's also an incredible leader, captaining us to our first play-offs in 17 years.

"I think there's a very high chance that he could leave in the summer too. Obviously he's very invested in the project, but, when a Premier League club comes knocking, it's very hard to say no, especially with the point that he is at in his career. He doesn't want to just stick around.

"I'm sure that he's very ambitious, and I know that Everton are very interested in trying to sign the Irishman. Everton would be a very good club for him. He'd fit in really well with the way they play. He's a manager's dream, and I think David Moyes is a manager that plays the style of football that would suit Knight.

"The way he recovers the ball is just second to none, literally second to none: he is the best in Europe. So there's a very big chance that he could step up to the Premier League next year.

"Everton are probably the team that I'd put my money on him to go to because it makes a lot of sense, for them and for us."

Bristol City are in a strong Jason Knight transfer position

There was no mention in the report that first linked Knight with the Toffees of any prospective transfer fee that he could go for, and it would take a good sum of money to get him away from Ashton Gate as his contract with the club runs until the summer of 2027. The midfielder agreed a four-year deal upon joining the Robins from the Rams.

Everton's own centre-of-the-park operator, Abdoulaye Doucoure, has announced that he will leave the club as a free agent this summer. Idrissa Gueye is also set to depart Merseyside, leaving Moyes with a necessity to acquire midfielders. That should allow City to push Knight's price up a bit more because they will be under no pressure to sell him.