CyderInACan Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/exclusive-bristol-city-line-up-8694181 Exclusive: Bristol City line up West Brom talent to fix some of Nigel Pearson's squad needs Bristol City have opened talks over the signing of versatile West Brom talent Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Bristol Live understands, as Nigel Pearson looks to address injury issues in defence and a lack of creativity in central midfield. Discussions have taken place over the possibility of the 21-year-old, who is under contract until 2026, moving to Ashton Gate on loan. Pearson revealed on Saturday that the Robins were exploring the idea of bringing in a new full-back on a temporary basis due to Ross McCrorie extended absence, as the Scot may require surgery on a bacterial infection which could keep him out for some time. After selling Kane Wilson to Derby County this summer, Under-21 talent Harry Leeson is George Tanner’s only competition at right-back with the 23-year-old having started and played 90 minutes in three of the Robins four fixtures so far this season. Gardner-Hickman’s arrival would give Pearson another option in the position and would also negate potentially having to bring Zak Vyner over from centre-back, with City also light on numbers in terms of specialists in that area of the defence as Rob Atkinson recovers from an ACL injury. Gardner-Hickman, who has been with the Baggies since the age of seven and nearly signed for Manchester City in his teens, made 34 appearances last season, in all competitions, and has played 47 games in the Championship since breaking into the first-team under Valerien Ismael during the 2021/22 season. Capable of playing at right-back, wing-back and also in centre-midfield, West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan has begun to develop him as a playmaker or forward-thinking No8, with Gardner-Hickman having scored twice in pre-season in that role. City have been in need of a central creative player following the £25million sale of Alex Scott to Bournemouth earlier this month. “When I came here he was playing in a 5-3-2 in the middle of the pitch, and he had played as a right-back and wing-back before I arrived,” Corberan told the Express & Star earlier this summer. “After I’d arrived, we moved to a back four and he played as a number eight, he can play in all of these positions, but sometimes I think that the best of Gardner-Hickman can be when you move him closer to the opponent’s box because, for me, he has a level of technical skill which means he can score goals. “He has very good finishing, and he can score goals. Against Salford, knowing although that it’s a different level, he scored two very good goals because he is quick in the technical action and he is good at finishing. He can be useful when you put him there.” All three of Gardner-Hickman’s appearances this season - two off the bench in the Championship and a start against Stoke City in the Carabao Cup - have been in midfield. Should City be successful in bringing him to Ashton Gate, it would be yet another positionally flexible player to have been signed over the last year following McCrorie, Kal Naismith, Haydon Roberts and Jason Knight. The Robins also remain in talks with League of Ireland side St Patrick's Athletic over a possible deal for midfielder Adam Murphy. Contrary to reports elsewhere, City haven't shown any interest in Derby County's Max Bird this summer with the only bids for the 22-year-old having been received by Friday's opponents Hull City. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Hankey Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Im guessing that we may have not been told just how serious the issue (surgery on a bacterial issue?) McCrorie has really is. Tanner certainly needs some proper competition so this one could make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post westonred Posted August 22, 2023 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 If TGH is such a talent why would WBA loan him out ? Surely if he is that good he would be in their 1st team plans 20 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Every time I have seen him he’s looked decent without being spectacular, adding a 21 year old with 50 Championship games under his belt makes sense in light of our small numbers, though intrigued that it appears a loan, as think he’s available to leave permanently if we had wanted him. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Hankey Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 (edited) 4 minutes ago, westonred said: If TGH is such a talent why would WBA loan him out ? Surely if he is that good he would be in their 1st team plans West Brom are financially in the shit, so a loan for a young player who probably isn’t on huge wages is a bit odd from their point of view - perhaps we want a loan, but they may reject that approach and hold out for a permanent move. Edited August 22, 2023 by Mr Hankey 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westonred Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 23 minutes ago, Mr Hankey said: West Brom are financially in the shit, so a loan for a young player who probably isn’t on huge wages is a bit odd from their point of view - perhaps we want a loan, but they may reject that approach and hold out for a permanent move. Yeah i get that but he has been called one of the brightest prospects in the Championship so if he is on low wages (he must be if were interested) then why dont WBA get rid of one of the higher erners and keep him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerseybean Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 It may be a loan with the option to buy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petehinton Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 29 minutes ago, westonred said: If TGH is such a talent why would WBA loan him out ? Surely if he is that good he would be in their 1st team plans Financially in the shit, gave him a 4 year deal last year. Played 30 games last season looks like. Like the sound of this one a lot, makes perfect sense for it 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRoss Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 (edited) 33 minutes ago, westonred said: If TGH is such a talent why would WBA loan him out ? Surely if he is that good he would be in their 1st team plans So a player can't be considered a talent if another player is playing more often instead currently? I know its popular right now on this forum to express complete negativity for any club action however if this is true we do have to give them the benefit of watching the player ourselves before casting judgement. Edited August 22, 2023 by RedRoss 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Engvall’s Splinter Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 I understand the need for versatility but would really love us to sign someone who is a specialist in a specific position. 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCFCGav Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Well we need more depth, and he's young and exciting so this seems a good move. I do wish we'd focus on a few more specialists though. Players who will lock down their position and not end up being used as cover all over the pitch when injuries happen. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Hankey Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 3 minutes ago, westonred said: Yeah i get that but he has been called one of the brightest prospects in the Championship so if he is on low wages (he must be if were interested) then why dont WBA get rid of one of the higher erners and keep him Looking at their squad, there isn’t many players that teams would be happy to fork out on, if they can get a couple of million out of us for a player that cost them nothing it could help them balance the books a bit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westonred Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 1 minute ago, RedRoss said: So a player can't be considered a talent if another player is playing more often instead currently? I know its popular right now on this forum to express complete negativity for any club action however if this is true we do have to give them the benefit of watching the player ourselves before casting judgement. I am not being negative i like the sound of this guy he's also 6'2 so will add height to the team. What i am saying is if he is good as people say Blog on Twitter says 'one of the brighest prospeects in the Championship' it just seems crazy that WBA would let him go 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRoss Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 3 minutes ago, westonred said: I am not being negative i like the sound of this guy he's also 6'2 so will add height to the team. What i am saying is if he is good as people say Blog on Twitter says 'one of the brighest prospeects in the Championship' it just seems crazy that WBA would let him go Fair enough my bad I'm probably over sensitive to the negativity expressed on here everyday. You'd think our club was entering administration not only lost a game with the mood on here. With respect to the player in question, I can't recall watching him play however has recently been part of the England youth set up so must have something about him and positive posts about him on WBA forum. https://westbrom.com/forum/index.php?topic=26492.0 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyAB Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 These are the rewards you get for working so hard for 3 years to reduce the wage bill, getting rid of plenty of high earners and selling Semenyo. Scott out and Gardner-Hickman in on loan. Well done to all involved 9 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 15 minutes ago, Jerseybean said: It may be a loan with the option to buy On a pay as you play basis. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shauntaylor85 Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 It is what it is, let’s see what happens by the end of the window. If we don’t address the core issues of the squad then I seriously question the management at board level and the recruitment team. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 56 minutes ago, westonred said: If TGH is such a talent why would WBA loan him out ? Surely if he is that good he would be in their 1st team plans So you think we are in the market for players that West Brom don’t want to lose? Prepare to be very disappointed over the next week and indeed for however long you support us, then. Strangely I’m going to judge him on how he performs but in contrast to a lad who couldn’t get in Bolton’s side, this one is far more logical. Could of course still turn out to be a dud, that’s life. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Red Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Christ I hope we win on Friday. 3 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenBall Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Best we can get with our situation we’re in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozo Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 This is clearly plugging a gap until McCrorie is fit, and of course if the lad is a revelation I'm sure we'll try to buy him. What this isn't is the investment that fans want in a goal creator/scorer/both and so is going to feel a bit meh in comparison. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDarwall Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Definitely a "big name" signing! Whilst there may well be some angst between Nige & the club, I genuinely think he is anti the sort of "clubs in a bag" player collecting mentality of previous regimes. At £2M McCrorie is obvs 1st choice right back, Tanner is back up & Zak &/or Sykes could fill in. On that basis a loan does seem to make sense. Re Ross Mc, we do seem to have repeated the Joe Williams trick of losing our big summer singing before they've really kicked a ball in anger for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerseybean Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 From my WBA following mate I’d be surprised if he leaves – really good young player – But… we are in £ mess so if he has value he might leave. Be a good buy if you get him. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveF Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Seems like a very sensible signing to cover McCrorie's injury. Im sure we will make other signings so the negativity seems a bit ridiculous at this point, we've still got over a week left of the transfer window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvio Dante Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Definitely looks to be available on more than just a loan - rumours earlier in the window that he was off to Brum for c£1m. I’d suggest if we were to get him in I’d try and err on permanent at that price (or certainly have a fixed fee in the loan agreement). If TGH comes in and performs well, then we may have to pay significantly more if permanent comes on the horizon. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenBall Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 12 minutes ago, DaveF said: Seems like a very sensible signing to cover McCrorie's injury. Im sure we will make other signings so the negativity seems a bit ridiculous at this point, we've still got over a week left of the transfer window. Where we need 5-6 players at the very least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Seems a sensible signing, on loan could buy time for McCrorie but if just Gardner-Hickman and the other priority areas not really addressed thst would be disappointing. CB, CM/creator and then we can argue the toss about GK and or striker. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extonsred Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 GOAL SCORING FORWARD PLEASE! This team is crying out for defence and midfield having openings created up front. Releases them to play more imaginatively!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 18 minutes ago, DaveF said: Seems like a very sensible signing to cover McCrorie's injury. Im sure we will make other signings so the negativity seems a bit ridiculous at this point, we've still got over a week left of the transfer window. The article is quite confusing. It starts of about being cover for RB but then says in been playing in midfield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galley is our king Posted August 22, 2023 Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 1 hour ago, Engvall’s Splinter said: I understand the need for versatility but would really love us to sign someone who is a specialist in a specific position. We did, unfortunately he's injured..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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