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Since the appointment of Tim Brown the doors have been revolving at Ashton Gate as the new manager makes the squad his own.
An early decision was made to let defender George Tanner go to Athetico Madrid as a squad player - despite showing great promise as an academy prospect Tanner was unlikely to get a look in at City and the transfer fee of £7 million was maybe a little light, but it all adds to the club coffers. Tom Naylor moved in the opposite direction as a backup player for £5m to ensure that the club kept the requisite squad numbers up.
City then sent young prospect Han-Noah Massengo out on loan to Fenerbache where it is hoped he will get full playing time to develop. The club had surprisingly announced his appointment as captain just 24 hours earlier so this was a surprise but will probably make sense for the players future. David Bentley has been announced as the club captain after rumours that several players were threatening to walk out after Massengo’s first announcement was that he wanted all players to copy his hairstyle.
The biggest close season business saw City shell out a whopping 62m for midfield general Kenneth Taylor, from Borussia Dortmund. This is a real coup for the Robins, an all round box to box midfielder who at 21 is one for the future but more than capable of excelling at Championship level. He is likely to be one that Brown builds his team around - Brown said “ I was concerned about our midfield more than any other position to be honest, and Kenneth is exactly what we need. He brings energy, drive and youth, and is a bright young lad”
Rumours are also speculating that Taylor, being a Netherlands international, spent a lot of time in Amsterdam with Brown negotiating the deal - “ Yeah, he certainly knows a coffee bar or two in Amsterdam, and he was able to show me some great hospitality over there. I felt we needed a good couple of weeks together to really understand and make sure he was the right fit, but i can definitely report that everything was groovy and we’ll look forward to spending more time together - he’s already showing me how to grow herbs in my greenhouse as a favour, lovely lad”
Just when it looked like all of their business was done, City then agreed a double swap with Stockport County, their championship rivals. Mark Sykes and veteran Nahki Wells have gone to Edgeley Park, with Nicky Cadden and Vakoun Bayo coming to Ashton Gate. Both are expected to be in contention for the first league game against Sunderland. Sykes is said to have been furious at his classification as a defender and Wells is a particularly big fan of hats, and is likely to be spending a lot of time in the Hat Works Museum, with local businesses competing to design his next headwear.
After all of this coming and going Brown then realised his squad was still one short, so Ezequiel Avila, the Argentinian striker came in as a free agent and pocketed a hefty signing on fee to complete the starting squad for the new season.
An early decision was made to let defender George Tanner go to Athetico Madrid as a squad player - despite showing great promise as an academy prospect Tanner was unlikely to get a look in at City and the transfer fee of £7 million was maybe a little light, but it all adds to the club coffers. Tom Naylor moved in the opposite direction as a backup player for £5m to ensure that the club kept the requisite squad numbers up.
City then sent young prospect Han-Noah Massengo out on loan to Fenerbache where it is hoped he will get full playing time to develop. The club had surprisingly announced his appointment as captain just 24 hours earlier so this was a surprise but will probably make sense for the players future. David Bentley has been announced as the club captain after rumours that several players were threatening to walk out after Massengo’s first announcement was that he wanted all players to copy his hairstyle.
The biggest close season business saw City shell out a whopping 62m for midfield general Kenneth Taylor, from Borussia Dortmund. This is a real coup for the Robins, an all round box to box midfielder who at 21 is one for the future but more than capable of excelling at Championship level. He is likely to be one that Brown builds his team around - Brown said “ I was concerned about our midfield more than any other position to be honest, and Kenneth is exactly what we need. He brings energy, drive and youth, and is a bright young lad”
Rumours are also speculating that Taylor, being a Netherlands international, spent a lot of time in Amsterdam with Brown negotiating the deal - “ Yeah, he certainly knows a coffee bar or two in Amsterdam, and he was able to show me some great hospitality over there. I felt we needed a good couple of weeks together to really understand and make sure he was the right fit, but i can definitely report that everything was groovy and we’ll look forward to spending more time together - he’s already showing me how to grow herbs in my greenhouse as a favour, lovely lad”
Just when it looked like all of their business was done, City then agreed a double swap with Stockport County, their championship rivals. Mark Sykes and veteran Nahki Wells have gone to Edgeley Park, with Nicky Cadden and Vakoun Bayo coming to Ashton Gate. Both are expected to be in contention for the first league game against Sunderland. Sykes is said to have been furious at his classification as a defender and Wells is a particularly big fan of hats, and is likely to be spending a lot of time in the Hat Works Museum, with local businesses competing to design his next headwear.
After all of this coming and going Brown then realised his squad was still one short, so Ezequiel Avila, the Argentinian striker came in as a free agent and pocketed a hefty signing on fee to complete the starting squad for the new season.