Bristol City In Talks To Land 21-Year-Old

Bristol City have opened talks to sign West Bromwich Albion defender Taylor Gardner-Hickman on loan due to several injuries within the first-team squad, according to a report from Bristol Live.

The 21-year-old is a product of the West Bromwich Albion academy, having been with the club from a young age but following Kane Wilson’s switch to Derby, the door is open for a reinforcement to arrive before the window slams shut.

Who is Taylor Gardner-Hickman?

The former England U20s international has made 60 first-team appearances for the football club so far, contributing to five goals. He has also featured in three of the Baggies four matches so far and can either operate as a full-back or midfielder, which would be a bonus to Nigel Pearson’s side.

A strong start

Bristol City began the campaign with a 1-1 draw against Preston North End, before cruising past Oxford United in the EFL Cup. Despite the loss of Alex Scott to Bournemouth, the club beat Millwall 1-0 to continue their unbeaten start, courtesy of a 94th minute winner from Matty James.

However, Nigel Pearson’s side were beaten 2-0 by Birmingham City on Saturday in a match which also saw Rob Dickie dismissed, after picking up a second booking, which also means he will miss Friday’s trip to Hull City.

What’s been said?

In a previous interview with the Express & Star, West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan spoke about Gardner-Hickman’s arrival since he joined by stating…

”When I came here he was playing in a 5-3-2 in the middle of the pitch, and he had played as a right-back and wing-back before I arrived,

“After I’d arrived, we moved to a back four and he played as a number eight, he can play in all of these positions, but sometimes I think that the best of Gardner-Hickman can be when you move him closer to the opponents box.”

Writer’s View

Gardner-Hickman is a promising young player but he needs to play football on a consistent basis. Similarly, Bristol City need to continue to strengthen following Alex Scott’s departure and on paper this seems like a good fit for all parties.

However, we await to see whether a deal can be agreed and where Gardner-Hickman would fit into Nigel Pearson’s side, but if a deal does go through I am excited to see how he get’s on.