Bristol City have confirmed that veteran striker Nahki Wells will leave the club following the expiration of his contract.
The 35-year-old joined the Robins in 2020 from Burnley in a deal said to be worth £5 million. It’s fair to say that he has proved his worth, contributing 48 goals and 19 assists in 237 appearances.
He played a prominent role last season as Liam Manning’s side reached the play-offs, scoring 10 times on the way to a sixth placed finish. However, City were unable to secure a place in the Premier League and crashed out at the semi final stage thanks to a 6-0 aggregate defeat against eventual beaten finalists Sheffield United.
The club announced soon after that they were in contract negotiations over extended terms. After weeks of speculation, it has now been confirmed that his five-and-a-half-year stay in Bristol will come to an end.
Wells Says Emotional Farewell
Speaking upon the announcement, the attacker penned an emotional farewell to the supporters:
“Over the past five-and-half years, I’ve built a massive connection with so many people at Bristol City, from the staff at the Robins High Performance Centre and the fans at Ashton Gate to the many amazing people in the local community.
“We’ve created so many special memories that will live with me forever. You’ve taken me in as one of your own and made my family feel at home from the moment I joined the club.
“The moment on the pitch at Ashton Gate finding out we’d made the play-off places is something I will never forget, celebrating something we worked so hard to achieve with the fans who backed us the whole way.
“I wish you all the best, up the City.”
Wells has been linked with a return to former club Bradford City in recent weeks. He made 112 appearances for the Bantams between 2011 and 2014, scoring 53 times.
Writer’s View
There seemed an air of inevitability over Wells’ departure, especially after head coach Liam Manning opted to make the move to Norwich City earlier this month. Although in the twilight of his career, he will still feel he has plenty to offer. It’s likely there will be a queue of clubs hoping to strike a deal too. You can’t put a price on goals, and that is something that the striker has delivered on a consistent basis over the years. Bradford’s return to League One may make the deal possible, but expect lower half Championship clubs to be sniffing around too.
