Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Weimann is having talks with West Brom
BRISTOL City forward Andi Weimann is in advanced transfer talks with the Robins’ Sky Bet Championship rivals West Brom, with the Austria international in to the final six months of his contract at Ashton Gate.
Bristol Live, the sister website of the Daily Press understands the move could be a loan or a permanent switch, but with Weimann unlikely to be offered a new contract, either way it will end his five-and-a-half year stay in the West Country.
The 32-year-old is club captain at City, but has struggled for game-time all season, mainly due to injury, but also the change in management.
Part of the discussions centre around City’s desire to make Taylor Gardner-Hickman’s switch to Ashton Gate permanent, with the 22-yearold on a season-long loan and the Robins holding a purchase option in that agreement.
Robins boss Liam Manning started Weimann in his first game in charge at Queens Park Rangers, but he has featured in just three starting XIs since then and, although he found the target in the 4-1 win at Watford on Boxing Day, has not been as impactful as previous campaigns.
It is believed that his agreement, signed in the summer of 2021, includes an appearance clause in his final season that would trigger an automatic 12-month extension if a certain game threshold was met. Weimann has made nine starts and 21 appearances overall this term.
With Weimann seemingly not part of the club’s long-term plans beyond this summer, that therefore led to the potential of him being inactive for much of the season half of 2023/24, a situation neither ideal for the club or the player. With Austria preparing for the European Championships in Germany this summer, Weimann harbours ambitions of making the squad having forced his way back into the national set-up in 2022.
That was on the back of a stunning 2021/22 in which he struck a careerbest 22 goals in 47 games in all competitions, winning the Player of the Year award with an individual contribution that effectively kept the Robins in the Championship. That was remarkably achieved after he had recovered from an ACL injury in the previous season, which had kept him out of action for nine months.
Weimann was signed by former City boss Lee Johnson in the summer of 2018 as a replacement for Bobby Reid and has scored 51 goals in 214 appearances, with his performances always marked by commitment to the cause, which endeared him to each of his managers and the fans.
West Brom lie fifth in the secondtier table, six places and six points ahead of City. The two sides meet at the Hawthorns on March 16.
Any move would also mean that Weimann can return to the Midlands, where his family are based, having spent the majority of his career, prior to signing for City, at Aston Villa and Derby County.
City play away to fellow mid-table side Preston North End today. The 11th-placed Robins are one point and three places better off than their hosts this afternoon.
Bristol City host Liverpool in the fourth round of the Women’s FA Cup tomorrow afternoon (1pm). The WSL returns next weekend.