Bristol City may already have a Scott Twine replacement under their nose: View | OneFootball

The Robins may not have to look too far in their search for a potential Scott Twine replacement

Bristol City supporters had every right to be optimistic over one such Ashton Gate renaissance back in January.

The reunion in question involved boss Liam Manning and Scott Twine, who joined the Robins on a loan deal until the end of the 2023/24 campaign from Burnley.

Despite a somewhat-underwhelming half-season stay with Hull, hopes were understandably high given that Twine had scored 20 goals and laid on a further 13 assists for MK Dons two seasons prior, then under Manning's tutelage in the third-tier.

Twine did enough during his short spell in Bristol amid injury problems to encourage the club to mull over a permanent deal this summer by scoring two goals from 10 appearances, although complications with the Clarets may well force them to look elsewhere.

The current Burnley/Bristol City transfer situation involving Scott Twine

According to a recent report from BristolLive, the Robins are looking to strike a second loan swoop for Twine, with Burnley currently playing hardball in regards to a permanent transfer.

Though the report does state that managerless Burnley have dropped their initial £5m valuation, it appears that the new asking price still exceeds City's financial capabilities.

Interestingly, Twine - who hails from the nearby area - is said to be open to a return, and there is plenty to suggest that he would be a real hit in the West Country with a full pre-season under his belt, spared from the instability that comes with trading clubs mid-campaign.

But Burnley will rightly be looking to raise funds ahead of their promotion charge come August, and Twine seems a natural candidate given that it simply hasn't worked for him at Turf Moor.

The Clarets' stance over a third loan exit for Twine remains unclear, but Bristol just happen to have a potential replacement already in-house...

Anis Mehmeti could be Bristol City's Scott Twine replacement if he steps up

It's time for Mehmeti to finally make good on his promise.

The three-cap Albanian international lit up League One during an impressive eighteen months with Wycombe Wanderers, but he's struggled to make the taxing transition to the Championship just yet since his January 2023 arrival.

It's important to delve into the context, though, which is that Mehmeti's underlying numbers do exhibit plenty of promise and are suggestive of a player capable of taking his game to the next level in the near future.

Courtesy of FBRef, Mehmeti averaged 4.83 progressive carries, 2.08 successful take-ons and 1.69 carries into the penalty area per 90 minutes in the 2023/24 season, all of which see him rank in the top 20 percentile or above for positional compatriots in said metrics.

Of course, we're not looking at a player who is the finished article right now - his creative numbers alongside his goal and assist returns since moving to the Championship tell you as much.

He may still be raw, admittedly, but his ability to stretch defences, drive quick attacking transitions and outsmart opponents with quick thinking and even quicker feet vindicates the promise that has surrounded his name for quite some time.

Thankfully for Mehmeti, Manning is a young, progressive and positively-resourceful coach who cultivates and optimises player potential - just ask Twine - something which works strongly in his favour.

Manning is clearly a fan too, as evidenced by the increase in starts he has received following the appointment of the former Oxford United Head Coach last November.

Now, Mehmeti simply must repay the faith.