Western Daily Press (Saturday)
No rush on GardnerHickman – Manning
BRISTOL City are in no rush to make a decision on Taylor Gardner-Hickman’s future beyond this season – with head coach Liam Manning indicating that if the Robins opt to turn his loan move from West Bromwich Albion into a permanent signing, it will be in the summer, rather than the forthcoming transfer window.
Gardner-Hickman has been a firstteam regular under Manning, like Robins predecessor Nigel Pearson, developing into a reliable and exciting Championship midfielder after initially deputising at rightback. He has made 20 appearances, 13 of which have been as a starter, since signing on August 22.
His consistency is such that it is often overlooked that he is still only in his early 20s (he turns 22 today), and has huge room for growth and development. Hopefully that will be in BS3, and as part of his seasonlong loan technical director Brian Tinnion negotiated an option to buy, which is believed to be £1.3million.
Tinnion has previously stated that the ball is in City’s court and the club effectively have first refusal on Gardner-Hickman once his loan agreement expires, but January represents an opportunity to remove any doubt and make him a full-time Robin. The 21-year-old has declared how settled he feels in the West Country and how he considers himself a City player, despite being contracted at West Brom until 2026.
Given budgetary constraints, with the desire to sign a striker and an attacking midfielder in this coming window, leaving any final decision on Gardner-Hickman until the summer appears a financial one more than anything because, ultimately, given the agreement with the Baggies, there is no pressure to buy at this moment in time.
“There’s the option to make it permanent, so it’s one of those where we don’t need to rush into anything,” Manning said. “There will be discussions ongoing behind the scenes for us to go, right, what does that look like and take our time to make sure it’s right for everybody.
“Taylor has been progressing since we’ve been here. He had a couple of games where he was out of the team and wasn’t happy about it, as none of the lads should be, and what he did at Huddersfield away was he came on and responded in the right way for me and did everything we wanted in terms of a reaction.
“He brings composure and quality; his delivery on set-pieces has been hugely impactful and he’s got that in terms of where he can step in and join attacks as well.”
Gardner-Hickman has become part of a strong central midfield core alongside Matty James and Joe Williams, with Manning rotating the trio over the festive period.
“What helps him is he’s got two terrific pros pushing him as well,” Manning added. “Joe Williams was outstanding against Watford, Jamo has been terrific as well, against Sunderland and Hull, and we’ve got three battling it out, which is what you need.”