Fulham deal could be a help and not a hindrance to Bristol City rising star: View | OneFootball

Bristol City have experienced a quiet January transfer window thus far regarding comings and goings.

One man that is on their radar though is Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz, with a potential loan deal reportedly of interest to them.

Adding that extra attacking impetus could be what Liam Manning needs to propel his side into the play-off positions.

Some may think that a move for Muniz could come at the detriment of Tommy Conway but it would actually benefit the Bristol City youngster, and here is why.

Fulham forward potentially arriving at Ashton Gate

Bristol City have their sights set on the Fulham forward but one stumbling block could be the reported interest from Championship rivals Queens’ Park Rangers.

Journalist Darren Witcoop reports that both teams have made inquiries about the Brazilian and it is the Robins who will fancy their chances of landing him given how the table is shaping up.

Muniz has started just three times in the Premier League at the time of writing alongside five outings off of the bench.

In his 316 league minutes, he hasn’t found the back of the net yet although he did score in the 3-1 EFL Cup win over Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

Overall, opportunities are few and far between for Muniz in what is a pivotal time for his development so a loan move to the league below makes a lot of sense for all parties involved.

Bristol City is a fascinating landing spot for the 22-year-old given that they are only a few points outside of the top six but they are lacking a bit of cutting edge in the final third.

Conway leads the team with seven goals and they have been a little over-reliant on him up top, enter Rodrigo Muniz.

As previously mentioned, Conway is the crown jewel of Manning’s frontline, scoring six times from 1,133 minutes in the 2023/24 Championship campaign.

The youngster scored the equaliser away at West Ham United in the last outing to send their FA Cup third round tie to a replay in Bristol - keeping his cool to fire across Łukasz Fabianski into the bottom corner with a composure that has been missing at times this term.

His talent is there to see but at times he's looked a little lost in the one-striker system favoured by Manning and the addition of Muniz may not be the worst thing in the world for him.

Naturally, there will be concerns it could hinder his development but that is not necessarily the case. In a hectic Championship calendar, a bit of extra rotation could be good for the 21-year-old, who has suffered with injury issues since stepping up to senior level properly at the start of last season.

It would take some of the pressure off Conway's shoulders as the club's only source of regular goals up top - with Nahki Wells struggling to contribute much so far this term - but could also provide some positive competition for places, hopefully spurring the homegrown forward on, while having a physical striker like Muniz in the dressing room and on the training ground should help the academy graduate flesh out his own game.

The positives from the perspective of Manning and the squad are clear to see but Conway, too, could be a beneficiary if the Fulham deal is done.