Bristol City told not to repeat Lois Diony “mistake” ahead of February 3 transfer deadline | OneFootball

Bristol City have been told not to rush into another striker signing given their poor record over the years in January.

Bristol City have been told they must not sign a striker for the sake of it as they look to improve Liam Manning’s squad this month, with Lois Diony's move to Ashton Gate name-dropped as one that was a major blunder by the hierarchy.

The Robins have finally found some consistency in the Championship, and they’ve moved to within four points of the play-off places.

That has got some fans excited about what the campaign could bring, although there is a feeling that the squad needs strengthening if they are to last the distance.

Bristol City’s January transfer plans

For many supporters, the one area Bristol City must try to upgrade is obvious - they need a striker.

Sinclair Armstrong is currently out injured, but the ex-QPR man has only managed three goals this season, and Fally Mayulu hasn’t convinced since his move from Austria.

Therefore, there is a reliance on the experienced Nakhi Wells, but he has only found the net five times in the Championship, and is perhaps approaching his latter years as an effective second tier striker at the age of 34.

So, like many clubs, Bristol City are craving a clinical goalscorer, and the recruitment team will no doubt have options they think would improve Manning’s XI.

Bristol City told to be cautious in January window over striker addition

However, January is a notoriously difficult market, and the Robins have made errors at this stage of the season in the past.

When quizzed by FLW about those failings, fan pundit Tom explained that the club had rushed into signings in the past, and he urged them not to repeat that mistake, as he highlighted Lois Diony and Harry Cornick as deals that didn’t work out.

“A mistake the club must not repeat again is to not rush into signing a striker in the late weeks of January," Tom told FLW.

“Notably, with Lois Diony, he came in and just didn’t hit the ground running at all, and ended up costing us a couple of games where he just couldn’t score.

"Our form capitulated after that, it was back when we had Lee Johnson, and we were a very streaky team, and we couldn’t get it back towards the end of the season, and he didn’t help with that.

“We were high flying that season, I think we were second at Christmas, but that was a rushed signing that didn’t work.

“Harry Cornick was much the same. Antoine Semenyo left late in the January window and Cornick was our replacement for him. If you watch the two play, they’re not even similar.

“When you're signing someone late in the window, it’s difficult to sign someone with a similar profile to the player you’ve just sold for less money. That was a rushed signing that simply wasn’t good enough.

“Ryan Kent was another that didn’t work out, even though he went on to be very successful at Rangers.

“With fans crying out for a striker, I think it’s important that if we are going to make a deal, it has to be the right one because we shouldn’t be in any rush to get a striker right now. We’ve got Nahki Wells and Sam Bell who have been playing well recently, and we’ve got other players who can help out.

“.”

Bristol City must get the January window right to keep in touch with play-off places

In truth, a top six finish seems unlikely for Bristol City, but there is quality in Manning’s group, and a new striker could transform the team.

It seems the obvious area they must upgrade, but it’s so hard to find the right man - as the Robins know.

Clearly, they’ve made errors in the past, and most would agree that they must only move for the right player this month instead of taking another risk that backfires.

Anis Mehmeti's nine goals this season leads the way for City, and he's not an out and out striker - imagine what they could do if they sign the right kind of striker to push them up a few more places.