Bristol City must have never expected what £5m Burnley transfer would offer | OneFootball

Bristol City paid £5 million for Nahki Wells back in 2019, and he has paid them back with his performances and importance to the team.

Bristol City are certainly contenders for the Championship play-offs this season.

The Robins have been playing their football in the Championship non-stop for almost a decade, but have failed to really push for promotion into the Premier League, having consistently finished comfortably in mid-table.

There is no saying that this season will be the same story for Bristol City, because as it stands, they do have an outside chance of finishing in the play-offs.

Liam Manning has done a good job of making improvements to the Bristol City squad, despite losing a key man, Tommy Conway, in the summer, and deserves real credit for ensuring that his side remains competitive in the top half of the table, which is no easy task in the Championship.

A number of signings have been made in recent seasons, but the one constant over the last five years has been their experienced striker, Nahki Wells.

From a Bristol City perspective, it is fantastic to have seen that £5 million transfer back in 2019 pay off, even now, with the striker in his mid-30s.

Nahki Wells arrived at Bristol City as an experienced forward

Prior to joining Bristol City, Wells spent three years at Burnley, but for a large portion of that time, he was on loan at QPR in the Championship, where he scored 20 goals across two season-long loan spells.

He then arrived at Ashton Gate in January 2020 for a fee believed to be around £5 million, with Bristol City's captain, Josh Brownhill, moving the other way to Burnley.

Wells, who was 29 at the time, signed a three-and-a-half year contract with the Robins, which turned out to be fantastic business given his performances for the club.

In his first full season with the club, he appeared in every single one of their Championship games, scoring 10 goals and grabbing three assists.

This set the tone for the next couple of seasons, as he remained a regular in the starting 11 at Ashton Gate and consistently grabbed goal contributions.

Perhaps, given his age, the Robins would not have expected much of a lengthy and consistent stay for Wells, but he has now been at the club for five years and continues to be a crucial part of the furniture at Bristol City.

Nahki Wells remains a vital player for the Robins

With the forward now 34 years old, many may expect him to be a bit-part player for Bristol City this season, but in fact, he is still very much an important asset to the team under Liam Manning.

This campaign, he has made over 20 league appearances and has contributed to a number of goals, as he so often does. Tommy Conway left a big gap in attack when he departed the club at the end of last season, but Wells has continued to display his reliability through his performances.

The Robins are genuine contenders for the play-offs this season, and they will be relying on the experienced forward to continue his positive performances and score some goals along the way.

In 2020, when Wells first signed for Bristol City, it would have been difficult to imagine that in five years' time he would still be leading the line at the age of 34, but that is exactly what is happening. Evidently, that £5 million deal with Burnley has been superb business.