Football League World
·12 May 2024
Football League World
·12 May 2024
Despite a 4-0 defeat to a lowly Stoke City side on the final day of the 2023/24 Championship campaign, Bristol City are a club who are seemingly moving in the right direction.
The loss to the Potters was the Robins' first in eight games, so should not distract from the fact that they have had an overall positive season with a youthful side, and will be hopeful of landing a 2024/25 play-off spot after landing a top-half finish this time around.
Several academy products occupy first team spots at Ashton Gate, including 21-year-old Tommy Conway, who was the top scorer for Liam Manning's men with 10 goals in 39 Championship appearances, while even experienced starting 11 players such as shot-stopper Max O'Leary and Zak Vyner are homegrown talents.
Due to the fact that the Robins utilise their academy so effectively, we can therefore anticipate that they will have a quieter transfer window than that of their second tier rivals.
However, we can still anticipate some incomings and outgoings and Ashton Gate this summer, while these deals would signal the dream start to the Robins' transfer window:
Former Luton Town attacker Harry Cornick joined the Robins in January 2023, but has failed to make a significant impact at Ashton Gate and started on just seven occasions during the 2023/24 Championship campaign, scoring two goals and providing just one assist.
The last time Cornick started a game for Manning's side was back on 10th March as the Robins defeated Swansea City 1-0 courtesy of a Rob Dickie goal, but the ex-Hatters man was replaced by Mark Sykes after 56 minutes.
Cornick signed a three-and-a-half year contract with the Robins, but the West Country outfit could look to offload him this summer, as it is evident he is not seen as a starting 11 player by Manning.
Burnley's Scott Twine joined the Robins on loan back in January, after spending the first half of the 2023/24 campaign with Hull City, and his move to the southwest reunited the ace with his former Manning, after the duo worked together at MK Dons during the 2021/22 League One season.
Twine has performed well at Ashton Gate, scoring two goals in ten appearances, and at 24-years-old, he fits in well in a Robins squad full of young talent.
During his time under Manning at MK, Twine produced a sensational return of 20 goals and 13 assists during a 2021/22 campaign in which the Buckinghamshire outfit finished in the third tier play-offs.
Manning should be keen to secure Twine's signature on a permanent basis, as they have thrived together in the past, while Robins supporters will hope to see the ace hit the sort of numbers he achieved with MK.
Twine would be a statement signing, as he is a player who can bolster the Robins' play-off credentials, while his experience of working under Manning is a clear advantage in any potential transfer race.