Bristol City have added a third summer signing inside less than two weeks with the Robins confirming the arrival of former Brighton & Hove Albion defender Haydon Roberts on a free transfer.
Roberts spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Derby County, making 46 appearances in all competitions, and with his contract at Brighton expiring at the end of this month, the Rams were keen to bring him back to Pride Park, along with a number of City's Championship rivals including Sheffield Wednesday.
However, having visited the High Performance Centre last week and met Nigel Pearson, City’s pitch and promise of Championship football, plus the fact they acted quickly while others kept Roberts waiting on an offer, has ensured he’s now a Robin following Rob Dickie and Ross McCrorie to Ashton Gate. It's understood Roberts verbally informed City of his decision last week before embarking on a family holiday and returning to Bristol to undergo a medical this morning.
Roberts has signed a three-year contract as Pearson continues to add defensive quality and depth to his squad. The 21-year-old is capable of playing at left-back and left wing-back but has been a centre-back throughout much of his youth career and it will be interesting to see how and where City use him.
A product of Brighton’s academy, Roberts is a former England Under-17 and U18 international and has made six appearances for the Seagulls in the League Cup and EFL Trophy but was unable to make a first-team breakthrough at his hometown club. Brighton opted not to offer him a new contract meaning City do not have to pay any compensation to sign him.
“I want to be a winner and win with Bristol City and to help the club get to the heights they want to - I can’t wait for the challenge ahead,” said Roberts.
“I see a club with a great manager and a great squad, with a mix of young and experienced players, and I see a fantastic stadium that has a great fanbase to go with it. It’s more than Premier League ready and now it’s about getting results.
“I’m really excited. It’s a big moment in my career to come to a club like Bristol City, to kick on and progress both individually and with the club,” he said. “There are many attractions to coming here but the big one for me was the trust the manager has in young players and knowing that, if I put in the work and prove that I am good enough, then I will get my opportunity.
"The young players here gave worked really hard to get to where they are. The club has a good model and I hope to be alongside them and push on with my career,” said Roberts. “I want to establish myself as a regular in the team. I come here full of confidence and I back myself and I’d love to push up the table with Bristol City and progress to the Premier League.
"With getting transfers done early I can see the ambition is there and I am really proud to be a part of it."
City have been swift with their business as alongside Norwich City they are one of only two clubs in the Championship to have secured multiple deals, with Pearson confident of concluding more over the coming weeks.
City are likely to be in the market for another left-back, should Roberts be considered a centre-back, a replacement for Tomas Kalas, if he declines his contract offer, at least one defensive midfielder and potentially a goalkeeper.
That list could extend to further players should the club’s price tag for Alex Scott be met as the sale of the 19-year-old would require the Robins to bring in extra creativity in midfield.
“We'll stay within the parameters that we're working with and how we can invest further,” Pearson said last week. “It's not a case of doing early business and that's it. You've got to have a pretty flexible perspective on what transfer windows can look like because things can happen that you can't really predict.
“It's about trying to get the balance right between promoting young homegrown players, but also making sure that we have players within the squad with know-how as well, who can enable the side to make further progression.
“We really want to be pushing right to the top next season. It’ll be a tough league because the teams that have come down from the Premier League are strong, so are the teams that have come up.”
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