Bristol City: If nothing happens, these 5 players will leave Ashton Gate | OneFootball

Bristol City are the definition of an 'on the beach team', but there are a few players who still have something to play for.

Liam Manning's side have absolutely nothing to play for in their remaining six games of the season. They are smack bang in the middle of the table, with no chance of being dragged into a relegation battle, and no real chance of finishing in the play-off places.

The hope will be that they can kick on next season and push for the top six. After all, the motivation behind getting rid of Nigel Pearson in the first place was because they wanted to be a Premier League club come next season, as per ITV.

That's not going to happen now, but there are clearly high expectations being set at Ashton Gate.

Even though there is little more than pride on the line in these final half-dozen games of the 2023/24 campaign, there are some players who will want to impress before the end of the season because they are out of contract with the club come July.

City in the summer, and this is who they are.

Andy King

The 35-year-old, who has made half-a-century of appearances for his national team (Wales), has been with the Robins since the summer of 2021, brought to the club by Nigel Pearson having managed him previously at Leicester City.

King has never managed to hold down a consistent spot in the team and be one of those players that starts in 30-40 league matches per season.

He did come off the bench in his side's most recent game against Plymouth Argyle, who have since sacked their manager Ian Foster following the loss, but that was just his 12th appearance of the season.

It seems like this will likely be his last season as a Robin, and his age suggests that his time in the Championship may be winding down too.

Matty James

Club captain James is coming towards his final few months of his current deal with City.

Unlike his Welsh teammate King though, he has been a staple of the starting XI this season, as well as the season's prior to it. James has played in over 100 Championship games for the club since joining on a free from Leicester City in 2021.

The midfielder said earlier in the season that he would love to be with the club from next season onwards - we'll have to wait and see if that will be the case.

Joe Williams

The last two seasons have generally seen Williams alongside James in the centre of the park for City.

He has been the more creative of the two over that time period, registering two goals and seven assists since the start of last season, compared to the skipper's three goals and zero assists.

Manning may want to shake up his midfield options a bit in the summer, in order to try and get his team closer to the top of the table, but Williams could well be kept on regardless.

Adedire Mebude

Mebude is a young Scottish winger who was formerly part of Manchester City's world-renowned academy system.

He was bought by Belgian club KVC Westerlo in July 2023, and was loaned out to the Robins at the end of the winter transfer window.

The 19-year-old has really struggled for appearances this season since he arrived at Ashton Gate, but they do have an option to buy him at the end of the season, but the lack of games suggests that Mebude's departure from Ashton Gate in July will be a permanent one.

Scott Twine

Like his Scottish counterpart, Twine arrived in Bristol in January, and is set to leave come the end of the campaign.

His contribution to the team has been equally disappointing, with only one goal on his debut to show for his time with the Robins, so far, and he has only made four total appearances since making the temporary switch from Burnley due to injuries.

There is no option in his deal that would allow City to buy him at the end of his spell with the club for a fixed fee.

Plus, the Clarets being relegated from the Premier League is a real possibility, and they may look at his first half of the season,with Hull City and think that he could be a useful player for the 2024/25 campaign.