Former Robins star Bobby De Cordova-Reid, who was previously linked to a transfer to Ashton Gate but ultimately failed to complete a deal, is the player that Football League World’s Bristol City City fan pundit wishes had signed with the team.
One year after making a contentious £10 million move to rival Cardiff City, De Cordova-Reid was linked to a return to his old team, Bristol City, in the summer of 2019.
The Robins had just finished eighth in the Championship during the 2018–19 campaign, which was their best result in the level since they were promoted from League One in 2015.
As a result, there was a lot of hope at Ashton Gate that the Robins would improve and at least guarantee a play-off berth the next season. Additionally, acquiring their previous academy graduate would have significantly improved their chances of promotion.
However, the Jamaican international decided to sign with Fulham that summer, so that was not to be. When we asked our Bristol City fan commentator, Tom Sandy, if there was a specific player the club was linked to but didn’t wind up signing, he pointed out that it was missing out on a contract for De Cordova-Reid that year.
“Would have been sensational”
Sandy stated: “I would argue that re-signing Bobby De Cordova-Reid a few seasons ago was the one player our team was linked to but didn’t wind up signing.
“I believe it would have been amazing if he had returned to Bristol City to take our forward place. He was a fantastic player for us when he came through our academy.
“Perhaps we could have pushed higher up the table if we had him in that season. I think that was the season in which we signed Benik Afobe on Deadline Day (2019/20), a move that regrettably didn’t quite pan out due to injury.
“I believe it would have been great if we had signed Bobby Reid that summer. I believe we could have made a stronger push higher up the table with him with Kasey Palmer playing at his peak behind him.
“Sadly, that didn’t come to pass. He was the one player we were associated with, though, and I would have preferred it to have happened.
One of City’s greatest academy products in recent years is De Cordova-Reid.
In recent years, Bristol City has developed several outstanding young players. Antoine Semenyo, Tommy Conway, Lloyd Kelly, and Alex Scott are just a few of the players who left the Robins’ academy production line.
The forward has since enjoyed a successful career in the Premier League, the EFL, and on the international scene, so De Cordova-Reid is right up there as well.
With 19 goals and seven assists in 46 Championship games during the 2017–18 season, the Jamaican’s final season wearing Bristol City’s colours was without a question his greatest.
According to FotMob, De Cordova-Reid was the most successful player in his position in the second division that season with 975 successful passes, 44 accurate long balls, 54 chances created, 66 successful dribbles, and 38 tackles won. He mostly played behind the center-forward, though he occasionally led the line.
So, if he had returned to Ashton Gate in 2019, would Bristol City have won promotion? There’s no way to know. However, it’s difficult not to believe that his return would have been crucial given that City would go on to finish 12th in the 2019–20 campaign.
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