"He is literally massive" - Bristol City told to avoid selling £15k-a-week star | OneFootball

FLW's Bristol City pundit expects Rob Atkinson to remain at Bristol City post his Portsmouth loan spell.

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...

Rob Atkinson has enjoyed a strong loan spell at Portsmouth after signing for the south coast club on loan from Bristol City in January.

The defender had been a key figure in the Robins' lineup during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, but a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury on 18 February 2023 sidelined him for 18 months.

In November 2024, he made his return to Liam Manning's matchday squad, although he was unable to feature due to the excellent form of players such as Luke McNally and Rob Dickie.

That prompted City to send him on loan to Portsmouth with the idea for him 'to get match minutes' at Fratton Park. The centre-back has done exactly that, stepping in to cover an injury crisis in defence for John Mousinho and producing commanding performances at the heart of the backline when available.

This has led to speculation over whether his future may lie at Fratton Park rather than Ashton Gate, although Mousinho has admitted that they "haven't had that conversation" as of yet.

Liam Manning urged to retain Rob Atkinson

Speaking to FLW's resident Robin, Tom Sandy, about the future of Atkinson, he admitted that the centre-back's performances have impressed him enough to warrant Bristol City keeping him in the fold this summer.

"Rob Atkinson is having a fantastic loan spell at Portsmouth – he scored a brace on the weekend," Sandy told FLW. "Obviously, that is going to endear you to your fans, and I think Portsmouth fans would really love to see him back.

"However, I don't want us to sell him. We didn't send him out on loan because he was surplus to requirements, and if he was at the club right now, he would be playing. We are currently playing Cam Pring at centre-back, who is a left-back, and we have had to play Tanner alongside him as the other centre-back too because of Luke McNally being injured. We have loaned out Kal Naismith, who is, in fairness, surplus to requirements – he isn't the level that we need, but Rob Atkinson is.

"He suffered a really bad ACL injury and has taken over a year to come back into the squad. He wouldn't have started for us at the time, and he needed to get match sharpness, so we loaned him out to Portsmouth, which I think was a really good move for him – he is playing well.

"I think he will play a big part next season, especially if we are still in the Championship. Let's be real, we definitely will be."

Rob Atkinson can be a real asset for Bristol City in 2025-26

Looking ahead to what he can bring back to Ashton Gate upon his return, Sandy added: "He is a brilliant centre-back, especially when he is on form.

"He is a goalscoring threat at one end – he is literally massive – but he is also a really assured centre-back at the back. Despite his frame and size, he is a very good ball player, so I don't see us going on to sell him unless a really good fee comes in and we can sign a replacement who is better.

"Rob Atkinson is our player, and we will want to keep him. He will return and play a part next season."

In hindsight, the decision to loan him out in January did impact Bristol City's defensive depth, particularly following McNally's injury. However, they have managed well, and Atkinson, who is estimated to earn £15k-a-week at Ashton Gate, now looks well-placed to make an impact next season.

Back in 2022-23, he was arguably the Robins’ standout defender, and a return to that level of form would surely put him back in strong contention for a starting place at Ashton Gate.

Manning will no doubt be pleased with the progress he’s made at Pompey and, as Sandy alluded to, the only realistic scenario in which he is sold would be if a substantial offer arrives.