Bristol City can’t guarantee that Aden Flint will stay after summer links to Championship rivals Leeds United and Aston Villa.
Bristol City did everything they could to hang onto Aden Flint in the summer transfer window.
Barely a day went by without the 6ft 7ins powerhouse being linked with a move to a club in one of the top two divisions of English football. But with Bristol City sitting pretty in third in the Championship right now, and with Flint scoring six goals this season from centre-back, it’s clear to see just how important the captain is to his high-flying club.
Though Bristol City fans might be a little concerned by manager Lee Johnson’s admission when he was asked whether Flint would still be at Ashton Gate after the January transfer window.
“I don’t know, is the honest answer. It’s a crazy world of football now. Aden’s been playing very, very well,” Johnson said in quotes reported by The Mirror’s live transfer blog (10.33am).
But two clubs who were heavily linked with Flint over the summer months might find that their chance has passed them by. The Mirror stated that Leeds United made an enquiry in August, and Flint would be a popular addition at Elland Road.
The prospect of The Robins’ man mountain partnering the animal that is Pontus Jansson is simply mouth-watering – and the uncompromising pair could combine to give Leeds the Championship’s most fearsome defensive duo.
Aston Villa, too, would no doubt love to see Flint in claret and blue. According to The Sun (April 23rd, page 61), Steve Bruce wanted the 27-year-old at Villa Park – possibly seeing a bit of himself in the iron-headed warrior.
Villa have one of the league’s best defensive records but, at 36, John Terry won’t hang around forever while Tommy Elphick and Chris Samba aren’t the most convincing options in reserve.
The problem, however, is that Aston Villa are constricted by Financial Fair Play, while Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has seemed a little unwilling to fund big-money, marquee deals.
And with Bristol City rating Flint at around £7 million in the summer, just imagine how much he would be worth now.
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