"Would be a very astute signing" - Bristol City urged to replace Nahki Wells with ex-Hull City striker | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

The former MK Dons and Oxford United boss was able to make some adjustments to his squad in the winter transfer window, which included the acquisition of Derby County's Max Bird, who will link up with his new teammates over the next few weeks, as preparations for the next Championship season continue.

Since the conclusion of last season, which the Robins ended in 11th place, as many points behind Norwich City in the final play-off place, Manning has revealed which areas of the squad he is looking to strengthen in most, and it's hard for many supporters to disagree with his stance.

Bristol City urged to replace Nahki Wells in summer transfer window with Aaron Connolly

It was clear for many to see that last season, one key frustration for supporters was a shortage of goals, with the West Country outfit finding the back of the net just 53 times across the 46-game season.

With the summer transfer window officially opening on June 14, Manning will no doubt have a shortlist of attacking talent in preparation.

And Football League World's Bristol City fan pundit,Tom Sandy, believes that one answer to those goalscoring issues lies in the free agent market, as well as being viewed as a long-term replacement for one of the club's current striking options.

"A player who Bristol City could be looking to move on, or replace in the summer could be Nakhi Wells," Sandy told FLW.

"The Bermudan striker scored just seven times last season, which was a drop from the season before where he scored 11.

"He's been getting less appearances too, which obviously comes with age. But, that could be a reason why we're looking for a younger alternative.

"One that we could bring in is Aaron Connolly from Hull, who is now a free agent in the summer, so it would be a very astute signing from the club."

"He scored eight in 28 for Hull last season, and he's also a very similar player to Nakhi Wells. He's a centre-forward, but he can also drop deep and play in a shadow striker role."

Aaron Connolly would add further continuity among Bristol City ranks

Sandy also highlighted that whilst Connolly would be moving on to yet another new challenge at the age of just 24, a move to Ashton Gate would provide some familiarity.

"He's going to be familiar with some of the club," Tom added.

"He's an Irish international, which means he will have met up with Jason Knight, Mark Sykes and Max O'Leary on international duty, so he would fit in well at the club."

"Obviously, him being free would be a fantastic signing, as well as a realistic one."

Aaron Connolly deal would be a smart move for all parties

Connolly will be looking for a new side in which he can be the focal point, having struggled for consistency during his time at the MKM Stadium.

Although he was impressive throughout periods of last season, which included finding the net in BS3 in a 3-2 defeat for the Tigers last December, the former Brighton man has picked up numerous knocks in East Yorkshire, which hampered his chances of securing a new contract prior to his release on the club's 'retained list'.

Despite those concerns, he was still able to net more Championship goals than the aforementioned Wells and Harry Cornick, who have both been behind City's top scorer, Tommy Conway, in the pecking order.

Although supporters may have reservations over it being a risky deal, the acqusition of Connolly on a free transfer with the hope that he can maintain his fitness wouldn't be the worst move in the world.