With the wage bill brought under control and some transfer revenue giving Nigel Pearson a greater degree of financial flexibility in the market, this forthcoming summer window could be Bristol City's busiest since 2019.
The Robins are confident of deals for Joe Bryan and Ross McCrorie, with both players expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks, but there is a desire to secure more signings before the players reconvene at the High Performance Centre first for physical testing and then when pre-season begins towards the end of June.
City have already been linked with a host of players from a number of sources and we thought we'd take a look at the reports over the last month to try and pick through which players are targets, and those that aren't with the club's name often used by agents or selling parties to try and drive up interest.
Jerry Yates
First reported: The Sun, May 20
City are stated as one of five Championship clubs keen on signing the Blackpool forward whose time at Bloomfield Road is set to come to an end following their relegation into League.
The report lists City, Ipswich Town, West Brom and play-off finalists Luton Town and Coventry City as the sides keen on the 26-year-old and places Blackpool’s valuation at £4m, while also claiming that an unnamed club has had a £2.5m approach rejected by the Seasiders.
Before we start playing a game of ‘Guess Who?’, our understanding is that while Yates has been watched in the past, as any player of that sort of profile who’s emerged through the lower leagues would be, he’s not on the club’s shortlist for this summer.
Aside from that, the alleged price-tag would be one red flag but it’s also simply because the Robins aren’t in the market for a striker at present.
Ali Al-Hamadi
First reported: Football Insider, May 18
The AFC Wimbledon forward experienced an exceptional end to the 2022/23 campaign, scoring 10 goals in 19 games after signing in January from Wycombe Wanderers. With his stock in the EFL high, Football Insider claim that City and Preston North End are “plotting moves” for the 21-year-old.
We can’t speak for the Preston end of all this but to our knowledge Al-Hamadi is not under consideration by City who, as mentioned above, are well-stocked for forwards, not to mention young ones if the form of Tommy Conway, Sam Bell, Anis Mehmeti (a former teammate at Wycombe) and Seb Palmer-Houlden.
It’s probably best to let Nigel Pearson spell it out as he said earlier this month: “Are we in a position to buy better than we've got? I don't think we are. For us to buy players who are better than the ones that we currently have would be very, very expensive. So we'll produce them instead.”
Regan Poole
First reported: The Telegraph, May 12
The Welsh full-back is leaving Lincoln City after two-and-a-half impressive seasons for the Imps and understandably is a wanted man in the Championship and League One. Poole is 24, with his best years ahead of him and has already accumulated a huge amount of EFL experience.
The Telegraph has reported that City are interested in signing the defender but we understand there are no plans from the Robins to bring Poole to Ashton Gate. Pearson has George Tanner now established at right-back and while there is uncertainty around Kane Wilson at present, the incoming arrival of Ross McCrorie gives another option in the position along with Under-21 talent Harry Leeson.
One point to make is that we understand that City did consider bringing him to the club when he was a teenage prospect at Manchester United, but that was several years ago now and the situation has very much changed.
Jake O’Brien
First reported: Daily Mail, January 30
As first reported by the Mail, O’Brien was one of two loan signings Pearson tried to make in January which the club couldn’t quite get over the line. The Crystal Palace centre-back was in RWD Molenbeek in Belgium but Palace were willing to direct him to the Championship, providing a loan fee could be met.
Given City’s relative safety in the Championship, spending a six-figure fee on a player for just 20-odd games, at a maximum, was not seen as good business sense at the club, and understandably so, however the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international remains a target.
City would ideally like to bring the 22-year-old to the West Country on a permanent deal but a deal is some way off at this stage and sources have indicated it's still "early days", with the Premier League season still to conclude and any movement, should things develop, will be from next month.
Jack Currie
First reported: Football Insider, January 30
City failed with a number of bids in January, baulking at AFC Wimbledon’s valuation of the 21-year-old left-back and also their last-minute desire to loan him back for the duration of the 2022/23 season. Like O’Brien, he remains a player of interest for the summer and the Robins are likely to launch another attempt to sign him.
Negotiations could prove complicated as due to a number of high-value sales in recent windows, the Dons are in a position of strength to hold firm on a fee while relations are understood to have been strained by the January saga which unfolded.
Ben House
First reported: TheRealEFL, May 4
A surprising link to have emerged just before the conclusion of the season with House enjoying a successful season for the Imps, with 12 goals in 38 appearances, in his first full EFL season having previously stood out for National League Eastleigh.
Given he’s still under contract for at least another year - Lincoln did not reveal the length of his deal when they signed him - he’d cost any interested parties money.
City and Sunderland were mentioned as possible destinations but we understand the 23-year-old isn’t under consideration at the HPC, pretty much for the reasons as stated above regarding strikers.
Kevin Nisbet
First reported: The Scottish Sun, May 6
After a move to Millwall collapsed in January, with the Lions agreeing a £2.3m fee with Hibernian, it’s understandable that Nisbet would be the subject of further transfer attention heading into the summer.
The Scottish Sun reported that City and Blackburn Rovers have joined Millwall in wanting to bring the forward to the Championship with the 26-year-old having scored 10 goals in 17 games.
As we understand Nisbet is not a player who’s under immediate consideration by the City hierarchy but they are aware of his likely availability this summer, and the fact that Hibs may well accept an offer below what was agreed with Millwall in January as he approaches the final 12 months of his deal at Easter Road.
That being said, and sorry to sound like a broken record, unless there’s changes in the forward department involving other players, it’ll be other clubs in the Championship fighting for the Scot.
Killian Phillips
First reported: February 26, Alan Nixon/The Sun
Another Irish prodigy at Palace who has been out on loan, midfielder Phillips has been learning his craft under Steve Cotterill at Shrewsbury Town where he’s made 19 appearances as an attacking midfielder scoring three goals and adding two assists.
Phillips is entering the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park and there doesn’t appear to be an obvious route into the first team. Alan Nixon reported in February that City were monitoring his situation, while in March, Football Insider claimed Millwall and Luton were also “chasing his signature”.
Phillips is not thought to be a player on City’s shortlist this summer, even with the theories that he could be a replacement for Alex Scott should the Robins midfielder be sold, but he does have some interest elsewhere in the Championship.
SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate
READ NEXT
