Bristol City six-figure regret will resurface after seeing Ipswich Town and Mark Ashton spend £9m: View | OneFootball

Bristol City snapped up Sammie Szmodics for a six-figure fee but he never really got enough of a chance at Ashton Gate.

Key Takeaways

Sammie Szmodics' time at Bristol City may well serve as some extra motivation; just four appearances for the Ashton Gate club and a lack of faith shown by the Robins faithful.

After paying a reported fee of £750,000 for the forward in the summer of 2019, the then 23-year-old was set to kick on with City after a brilliant spell with Colchester United.

However, it wasn't meant to be. Szmodics never really got his chance and, after an initial loan to Peterborough United, the striker was sold to the Posh in the 2020 summer window for a reported fee of £1 million, which back then, Robins fans would've been happy to receive.

Right now, it's not a number that looks as clever.

Since his failure in Bs3, he's gone on to flourish at Peterborough, Blackburn Rovers, and now finds himself in the Premier League with Ipswich Town.

The Robins might learn a thing or two after seeing the 23/24 Championship golden boot winner go for 12x times more than the fee they paid for him in 2019.

The frustration grows further, seeing their former chief executive Mark Ashton, who left as a much-maligned figure among supporters, completing the deal for the Tractor Boys. He was the once that brought Szmodics to Ashton Gate and said it was the "right environment" for him to step up at the time.

A regret that has certainly resurfaced, and one they'll struggle to forget with Ashton being involved.

Robins regret will resurface seeing Ipswich and Ashton spend £9m on Szmodics

An impressive pre-season in 2019 gave the Robins hope they'd found their dynamo for years to come but former City manager Lee Johnson didn't really give the striker the chance to prove himself in his side.

After only four appearances, it was obvious he wasn't favoured by Johnson and there was clearly not enough time for the attacker to unlock the potential we know he has today.

Speaking to Lancashire Live in 2022 following his arrival to Blackburn, Szmodics had some home truths for the Robins.

He said: "It feels like a relief for me, everyone reads social media and fans at Bristol (City) said I wasn't good enough. I played twice at Bristol and I didn't get the opportunities. Why, I don't know.

"It's a relief personally because when I left Bristol it was my aim to play in the Championship and I dropped to League One, which was a big move for me. I wanted to prove to people that I am better than this level and I have earned my move back to the Championship with Peterborough and then getting relegated, and now I have a dream move.

"It's not just showing Blackburn fans but also showing fans that I have played for before, this is the level I deserve to play at. I need a chance and opportunity, and I am very grateful to have that at Blackburn."

Former Robins CEO Ashton, who joined Ipswich in 2021 as their new CEO, has certainly flourished with the Tractor Boys transfer strategy, and comparing it to that of his time at Ashton Gate, is night and day.

Szmodics is one of a number of Ashton's failures at Bristol City – a tenure that took years to recover from for City.

According to Bristol Live, an overwhelming majority of supporters were glad to see his departure, but he is sure to have been proud of his achievements in Bristol, sustaining the club in the Championship, as the Robins have entered their tenth season in a row competing in the second tier with Ashton also winning Championship CEO of the year in 2019.

However, that won't change the Robins faithful's view of their former executive.

Szmodics now has the platform to shine at Portman Road

Never getting the opportunity at the Robins has probably helped the 28-year-old in his pathway to the Premier League.

A £9m fee is great business from the Tractor Boys and Ashton, something the Robins would laugh at in 2020, probably including Ashton himself.

Going from strength to strength has seemingly been his goal, and every time he's moved club since his short stint in Bristol, he just gets better.

The Premier League will be a whole different ball game for Szmodics, something he's yet to experience in his career, but there is no doubt, that his ambitions are getting stronger and so is he.