Bristol City won’t have to pay any compensation for the free transfer of Haydon Roberts, Bristol Live understands, with the Brighton & Hove Albion defender set to become the Robins’ third addition of the summer window.
Roberts has agreed personal terms on a move to Ashton Gate amid intense interest across the Championship and from League One Derby County, where he spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan, as his deal with the Seagulls expires at the end of the month.
City have won the race for the 21-year-old after he visited the High Performance Centre last week to meet with manager Nigel Pearson and, barring any late issues, he should fellow new signings Ross McCrorie and Rob Dickie once the deal is confirmed.
Given he’s under the age of 24, and having been in Brighton’s academy system since he was a schoolboy, the Premier League club would be eligible for compensation via the Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC), had they made an offer of a new contract that either matched or exceeded his present deal at Amex Stadium.
However, Bristol Live has learned that the Seagulls didn’t present fresh terms, which could have blocked his path away as the eventual figure could have reached high six figures depending on any PFCC ruling, meaning City have been able to sign him for nothing, outside of a signing-on fee.
Roberts is said to have been suitably impressed by the Premier League-standard facilities at the HPC and Ashton Gate, the club’s plan over the forthcoming years and City are also understood to have reacted quickly in presenting their pitch and contract offer as other rivals in the EFL were slow to act. That chimed with the defender's desire to secure a move as early in the summer as possible.
The former England Under-17 and U18 international is a hard-working, technically-proficient and versatile performer as he’s spent most of his career as a left-sided centre-back before his switch to the Rams last summer saw him increasingly converted into a left wing-back.
It will be interesting to see how Pearson uses Roberts with Jay Dasilva departing on a free transfer to Coventry City and City’s intended move for Joe Bryan collapsing, leaving Cam Pring as their only recognised left-back.
But, equally, Rob Atkinson is the club’s only orthodox and specialist left-sided centre-back, with Kal Naismith increasingly deployed in midfield, and the 24-year-old isn’t due back until November following an ACL injury meaning Roberts could take on that role.
The Robins are said to still hold an interest in AFC Wimbledon left-back Jack Currie, after three bids were rejected in January, which increasingly indicates that Roberts is being considered primarily as a centre-back alongside Atkinson, Zak Vyner, Dickie and Tomas Kalas, although the Czech Republic international is yet to agree on fresh terms with his contract expiring in just over two weeks.
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