EFL club chairman reveals two key reasons why Bristol City failed in January pursuit of 21-year-old | OneFootball

AFC Wimbledon chair Mick Buckley has revealed that Bristol City didn’t meet their valuation for left-back Jack Currie during the winter window and weren’t prepared to let him go back out on loan to Plough Lane for the remainder of the season, penning a message to his side’s supporters.

The departure of Nesta Guinness-Walker boosted his chances of playing regularly this season and he has taken that opportunity with both hands, making 33 appearances in all competitions already this term.

Establishing himself as an integral player under Johnnie Jackson, his progress didn’t go unnoticed by a Bristol City side that signed Kane Wilson from League Two champions Forest Green Rovers in the summer.

Think you’re a hardcore Bristol City fan? Try score 20/20 on this quiz all about the club

1 of 20

1. When did Bristol City first join the Football League?

1897 1901 1907 1920

Also bringing in Mark Sykes from Oxford United and Anis Mehmeti from Wycombe Wanderers, they aren’t afraid of dipping lower down into the EFL and that’s why it perhaps came as no surprise when they pursued a move to Currie.

Jay Dasilva’s future is currently uncertain with his contract expiring this summer and with this, they were potentially looking for a long-term replacement for the ex-Chelsea man, with Currie potentially fitting the bill.

They were unsuccessful with four bids for him though – and the Wombles’ key figure Buckley has revealed that Nigel Pearson’s side left it until later on in the window to make their move for the defender.

He wrote: “Bristol didn’t actually make an offer until the last Saturday of the window.

“Several offers and conversations followed but Bristol City couldn’t get to our valuation, and they weren’t willing to loan him back to us for the rest of the season.”

The Verdict:

You can’t really blame the Robins for waiting until the later stages of the window because they may have wanted to sell Antoine Semenyo before spending too much.

And even though they have sold the Ghanaian, they still need to remain within financial rules, so offloading a player before even bringing in Currie who could be a cheap addition was probably wise.

Bringing in a left-sided player probably isn’t a real issue at the moment considering Dasilva is still at the club with others able to operate on the left-hand side too – but it would have been nice for a player to have spent the rest of the season settling down at Ashton Gate before potentially hitting the ground running next season.

That may have been especially important for Currie who may take quite a bit of time to adapt to the Championship if he did end up in the second tier at some point.

Making two steps up the English football pyramid wouldn’t have been easy, so having those extra few months before pre-season to get used to life at Ashton Gate would have been useful for Currie if he’d joined.