"Could probably use that money better" - Bristol City urged not to push the boat out for Scott Twine deal | OneFootball

FLW's Robins fan pundit believes that the Clarets valuation of Scott Twine could price the club out of a permanent move

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Bristol City are facing a potential stumbling block in their pursuit of former loanee Scott Twine's permanent signature this summer.

Twine began the 2023/24 campaign on an initial season-long loan at Hull City from parent club Burnley, but saw his temporary spell cut short in January as he swapped the KCOM Stadium for Ashton Gate to link up with his ex-MK Dons boss Liam Manning.

The 24-year-old impressed in his five-month spell in the second-half of the season, and signing him permanently has been a priority target for the Robins since before the 2023/24 campaign finished, according to Bristol Live.

A permanent Bristol City transfer for Scott Twine seems unlikely at this stage

City reportedly remain in talks with Burnley to try and conclude a transfer for Twine, with confidence that a deal can be struck, but a new report from Bristol Live suggests that the Robins are discussing the option of a loan deal for the upcoming season, with the Clarets refusing to drop their asking price for the playmaker much lower than the £5 m quoted in January.

FLW’sBristol City fan pundit Tom Sandy believes that Twine would be a great addition to Manning's ranks for 2024/25, but is doubtful about the Robins' capacity to get a permanent deal done this summer.

“The impact of Scott Twine was evident, especially toward the latter end of the season - obviously he came in in January, but he suffered with injury problems at the beginning of his loan spell," Tom told Football League World.

“Once he came back, the way he gelled with Manning’s system, obviously he has played under him at MK Dons before, you could see the familiarity there and you could see how he slotted into the system really well.

“We went unbeaten in eight of our last nine games, and you could put a part of that down to the form of Scott Twine.

“He’s a fantastic player, brilliant at set-pieces, great at getting the ball on the half-turn and moving forward and progressing the attack, which is exactly what we were crying out for at the start of the season (when) playing Jason Knight in a more advanced role where he is better, I personally think, in a box-to-box role.

“I’d definitely be happy to bring (Twine) in on a permanent basis. I know Burnley are asking for a lot of money, the most I’d probably spend on him would be £2.5 million-£3 million possibly.

“I know that they’re after £4 million-£5 million possibly, which I don’t think is too much for a player of Twine’s quality, but I think is too much for us to afford on just one player who did have injury problems at the club - we need improvements elsewhere on the pitch, and could probably use that money better.

Loan deal for Scott Twine to Bristol City makes sense for all parties

Twine has history with Bristol City boss Liam Manning - he enjoyed the best spell of his career so far under him at MK Dons, and was clearly loving his football again at Ashton Gate in the latter stages of 2023/24.

The 24-year-old scored on his debut for the Robins against Watford, then did not play for another six weeks due to a thigh injury, but looked back to his previous Dons best when he returned to the field in March.

He was key to Bristol City's strong form at the end of the season, as he started in all eight of the club's final games and even netted his second Robins goal against Rotherham United in the last home outing of the campaign.

Since the end of the season, Twine has been training at City's High Performance Centre while waiting to see what his future holds - a sure sign that he would be happy to extend his stay in BS3.

A permanent transfer seems unlikely at this moment in time though - Burnley have lowered his price tag from the £5m rumoured in January, but it is still at a point beyond what the Robins are willing to pay for one player.

With that said, a loan deal for the former League One Player of the Year would surely suit Burnley, as he would retain value with two years still left on his contract, and would certainly suit Bristol City, as they would receive a huge attacking boost ahead of the new season.