In the not so distant past, forecasting the destinies of Bristol City's loan army was something of a lottery; exactly who was being primed for the first-team, who wasn't even being considered and who was potential transfer revenue was often unclear, and also changed.
That was also with 20+ individuals on hire around the EFL, making squad planning a complex and fraught process for Lee Johnson and Dean Holden, not to mention the additional drain on the wage bill, while players (Cam Pring being the obvious example) could get lost in the system. Hence why Nigel Pearson has drastically altered the approach.
Now players are mostly retained at City, with their development monitored in-house and those who do have a temporary home are either clearly not part of Nigel Pearson's first-team plans or who maybe need those extra few tweaks that only first-team football can provide.
We've taken a look at the six players who have previously been part of the first-team set-up who are on loan and scheduled to return to City at the season and what the future is likely to hold for them...
Tyreeq Bakinson
After an inconsistent start, Bakinson is now finding his feet at Ipswich at becoming a key player in the middle of the park alongside Sam Morsy. This is excellent news for City because, to put it bluntly, he doesn’t appear to have much of a future in BS3 under Pearson following his very public dressing down of the midfielder’s character after his loan to Portman Road was sealed in rapid-quick time.
Bakinson has a year remaining on his deal, after the 12-month option was activated in November, meaning the club will be holding out for a fee – probably, again, high six figures – which they are only realistically going to get if the 23-year-old finishes the season well with the Tractor Boys.
They are six points outside the play-offs in what is a very competitive League One promotion race but with every chance of making the post-season. How much they’re able or willing to spend on Bakinson – again, assuming he continues to play well – could hinge on which division they’re playing in for 2022/23.
Louis Britton
Holds almost mythical status among certain sections of the City support who have been left mildly bewildered why the 21-year-old hasn’t been given a chance in the first-team, especially during their attacking struggles at the start of the campaign.
Britton had an incredibly prolific season for the Under-23s last term with 13 goals, and after scoring on his debut against Brentford in May looked primed to make the step up, however, Pearson has publicly voiced concerns about his fitness.
After a loan to National League Woking failed to yield any positive results, Britton was sent to Waterford in the Irish Second Division where he’s scored two goals in five appearances.
Bristol Live understands that City unsuccessfully tried to sell Britton in January and unless there has been a drastic change of heart from within the High Performance Centre over his first-team viability, the belief is he’ll be released in the summer.
Owura Edwards
The winger has certainly had his moments since joining League Two Colchester United in January after his loan to Exeter City earlier in this season failed to produce the necessary results.
Edwards has been playing predominantly as a left-winger in a 4-2-3-1 and has three goals and one assist in 12 appearances. He also ranks second overall in the squad for successful dribbles per 90 minutes with 2.5.
The 20-year-old is still a work in progress and this stint in Essex looks to already have hastened his development. Assuming he plays the rest of the season out in a similar fashion, he should return to the Robins a more confident and rounded player and, who knows, could have a place in the squad for 2021/22, depending on pre-season.
There’s also the more likely possibility that if he can’t get minutes in BS3, the club seek a further EFL loan as although his deal expires in 2023, they have the option of another 12 months to keep him under their wing.
Saikou Janneh
Linked up with former City boss Steve Cotterill in January at League One Shrewsbury Town and, as was stated at the time, the 22-year-old was seen as much of a project as he was a consistent first-team option.
That’s certainly how it’s played out with Janneh a presence in the squad but only earning one start so far with the remainder of his 10 appearances in league and cup all being off the bench, without troubling the scoreline.
In mitigation, he’s played an average of 16.8 minutes per match meaning he’s not had much opportunity to show his talents, failing to Salop front two of Ryan Bowman and Daniel Udoh
With another year remaining on his deal, City will want a bit more output from the Gambian because he could be a transfer asset this summer, unless he returns and is able to impress Pearson during pre-season but with Tommy Conway and Sam Bell ahead of him, that looks a real task.
Taylor Moore
The defender has made 17 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, 12 as a starter, and his versatility has been a big asset for manager Robbie Neilson as the 24-year-old has been plugged in at centre-back and right-back over the course of the campaign.
Moore has indicated he’d be pleased to extend his spell in Edinburgh beyond this summer but, with his Robins contract until 2023, that will need to be a permanent move, with City desiring some kind of fee for the former England youth international.
The issue is his performances up to now haven’t been quite of a level for Hearts to think about parting with a fee, potentially in the high six figures, and the expectation in Tynecastle at present is he’ll return to Ashton Gate once his loan expires.
City could be left with a situation where they have a player who still has a year remaining on his contract but they can’t shift without taking some kind of financial hit on their investment into him.
Sam Pearson
The attacking midfielder has flown under the radar a bit this season, more than likely because, with the greatest of respect to Inverness and their rivals, not too many people south of the border are tuning into the Scottish Championship.
It was a bold move for Pearson to head to Scotland but with his first-team chances limited, after making five appearances in 2020/21, he needed to play and that sort of attitude will be welcome, especially by Nigel Pearson.
The Wales Under-21 international scored his first senior goal a couple of weeks ago and has started six games since January but has fallen out of the starting XI of late.
With a contract until 2024, there is absolutely no rush with the 20-year-old and although he may feel he should be thrust into first-team contention, last season’s exploits sort of put him in a false position in terms of his development, in that it gave the impression he was further down the line than he actually was, due to the Robins injury crisis and elements of the dressing room not really being dialled in.
He’s on track and will return to the West Country with a chance to impress in pre-season and if he’s not considered in the relevant bracket, another loan possibly beckons, preferably at a slightly higher tier of football.
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