"Would have been sensational" - Bristol City's Bobby De Cordova-Reid transfer miss debated | OneFootball

FLW spoke to our Bristol City fan pundit to find out if there is one particular player that they wish signed for the Robins after being linked.

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…

Football League World's Bristol City City fan pundit has identified former Robins star Bobby De Cordova-Reid as the one player they wish had signed for the club who was previously linked with a move to Ashton Gate, but didn't end up completing a deal for.

De Cordova-Reid was linked with a return to his former club Bristol City back in the summer of 2019, just one year after he made a controversial move to rivals Cardiff City for £10m.

At the time, the Robins had just recorded an 8th-placed finish in the Championship in the 2018/19 season - their highest finish in the division since their promotion from League One in 2015.

As such, optimism was rife around Ashton Gate that the Robins could go one better and at least secure a play-off spot the following term, and signing their former academy graduate would have been a real boost to their promotion credentials.

That wasn't to be, however, as the Jamaican international signed for Fulham instead that summer. It was missing out on a deal for De Cordova-Reid that year that our Bristol City fan pundit, Tom Sandy, picked out when we asked if there was a particular player the club was linked with who didn't end up signing, but wishes they did.

"Would have been sensational"

Sandy said: "If there was one player our club was linked with that didn't end up signing, I would say it would be re-signing Bobby De Cordova-Reid a couple of seasons ago.

"He was linked with coming back to Bristol City to fill in our forward spot, and I think that would have been sensational. He came through our academy and was a brilliant player for us.

"If we'd got him in that season, maybe we could have made a push higher up in the table. I believe it was the same season that we ended up signing Benik Afobe on Deadline Day (2019/20), which was a signing that, unfortunately, didn't quite work out because of injuries.

"If we'd have signed Bobby Reid that summer, I think it would have been fantastic. Him with Kasey Palmer playing at his best in behind him, I think we really could have made a better push higher up the table.

"Unfortunately, that didn't materialise. But, if there was one player we were linked with that I would have liked to have happened, it would have been him."

De Cordova-Reid is one of City's best academy products in recent times

Bristol City have produced some excellent young players in recent times. Alex Scott, Lloyd Kelly, Tommy Conway and Antoine Semenyo to name but a few that came off the Robins' academy production line.

De Cordova-Reid is right up there too, as the forward has gone on to enjoy a fruitful career in the EFL and the Premier League, as well as on the international stage.

The Jamaican's final season in Bristol City colours was undoubtedly his best, as he bagged 19 goals and seven assists in 46 Championship appearances during the 2017/18 season.

Predominantly operating behind the centre-forward, despite leading the line on occasions, De Cordova-Reid's 975 successful passes, 44 accurate long balls, 54 chances created, 66 successful dribbles and 38 tackles won were more than any other player in his position in the second tier that season - per FotMob.

So, would Bristol City have won promotion if he'd made his return to Ashton Gate in 2019? That's impossible to say. But considering City would go on to finish 12th in the 2019/20 season, it's hard not to think that having him back might have made all the difference...