Bristol City summer business will become vital if Rangers deal gets done | OneFootball

With Cameron Pring currently linked to a January move to Rangers, Bristol City's summer transfer business looks even more important in the grand scheme of things.

The left-back has been part of the City academy system since 2016. He underwent a series of loans to gain experience away from the club, before returning to make his debut for the Robins in 2021.

He soon established himself as the starting left-back for the team and remained a stand-out despite some disappointing league finishes in the seasons that followed.

Pring has been a constant presence in the side this season, starting the majority of games for Bristol and contributing goals and assists for the team currently sat in mid-table in the Championship.

He is reportedly a target of Rangers in January but the pain of his exit could be dampened by the summer signing of Haydon Roberts.

Pring is a target for Rangers in the transfer window

According to reports from The Scottish Sun, Rangers are considering a move for Pring. The defender has impressed for the Robins this season, nailing down the left-back position as his own.

The defender has been with Bristol since 2016, although he is looking like he could leave the club this January with a transfer bid from Rangers looming over the 25-year-old.

Journalist Alan Nixon also confirmed the Scottish club's interest and called Pring one of the best left-backs in the Championship following news of Rangers' interest.

With left-backs Ridvan Yilmaz and Borna Barisic struggling to impress this season, and Yilmaz rumoured to be leaving the club this month, the addition of Pring could help improve the Glasgow club's season, at the expense of City's Championship campaign.

Barisic is also out of contract this summer and targeted by Leeds United, making Rangers' left-back situation even more dire, prompting the transfer of Pring even more.

Signing Roberts in the summer looks even more important now

Given the rumoured potential departure of Pring, the summer signing of Roberts is looking more and more important for the Robins.

The left-back joined as cover and competition for Pring in the summer, signing from Brighton and Hove Albion on a free transfer. Roberts struggled for game time at Brighton but gained experience in the EFL during stints on loan at Rochdale and Derby County in League One.

He was particularly impressive for the Rams, which was enough to impress then-Bristol boss Nigel Pearson to move for Roberts.

While intense competition from and injury Pring has limited Roberts to just eight league appearances this season, the reported transfer to Rangers would give him the chance to stake his place in the side, slotting in as a handy replacement for the left-back.

He has been described as a "proper, old-fashioned type of full-back" and "a fine player" by scouts in The Athletic. While he doesn't boast quite as impressive physical attributes as Pring, he's a little more technical, which should make him a good fit under Manning.

His signing in the summer from Brighton seemed like one for the future but Roberts may be called upon sooner than he would have thought.

While Pearson was not the right manager to take the Robins forward this season, it is clear his forward planning in signing the defender in the summer is incredibly important to the team under new manager Manning.

If he can trust the defender to take the starting berth at left-back for the rest of the season at least, it will free up transfer fees and wages for the club to invest in other areas of the pitch, while giving the youngster some much-needed game time in the second of the season.

While losing Pring would be a blow for Bristol's play-off ambitions, luckily they have a replacement already signed that can help reduce the damage in the team made by the potential transfer to Rangers this month.