The 2024/25 Championship campaign saw Bristol City’s best shot of achieving promotion to the Premier League in a decade.
Under Liam Manning’s rule, the Robins finished sixth in the Championship before suffering a humbling 6-0 defeat over two legs to Sheffield United in the play-offs.
However, there was a renewed optimism at Ashton Gate that under their exciting young coach, they could build into a team that regularly challenged at the sharp end of the second-tier.
That dream quickly ended, when Norwich City managed to convince Manning to swap Bristol for Norfolk.
Quickly, the good feeling that embodied itself in a pitch full of gleeful supporters following the Robins’ 2-2 draw with Preston North End on the final day, had somewhat vanished.
Gerhard Struber has been tasked with rallying the troops to go again next season and there are certain players he must not let leave the Bristol City fold if he wishes to repeat Manning’s success.
Bristol City must not lose standout duo this summer
Bristol City's Jason Knight
Jason Knight and Max Bird formed one of the Championship’s best midfield partnerships last term, and are a crucially important part of the Robins’ side.
The former played every single minute under Manning in the league last season and, as the club’s captain, will enjoy a huge presence in the dressing room.
Scoring three goals and providing six assists was a solid return for the 24-year-old, who is likely to continue his development into one of the division’s standout operators in the next few years.
Bird contributed eight assists from the centre of the park in the 2024/25 second-tier campaign, and added an extra element of quality that the Robins had desperately been crying out for in years gone by.
The pair were crucial in dictating the tempo and manipulating periods of play to benefit Bristol City last season, and would be an era-defining loss for the club if they were to be sold.
|Max Bird v Jason Knight 24/25 Championship stats - as per FotMob|
|Player|Apps|Goals|Assists|Successful passes|Chances created|Duels won|Recoveries|Avg. match rating|
|---|
|Max Bird|46|1|8|1,262|75|142|167|7.1/10|
|Jason Knight|46|3|6|2,189|60|257|293|7.4/10|
Both players arrived from Derby County and their telepathic relationship played a huge part in the Robins’ play-off finish and would therefore be infinitely hard to replace.
Everton have been linked with a move for Knight, and selling one of the midfielders could leave the other to seek an Ashton Gate exit.
Losing the duo would leave Struber with a massive hole in his team’s spine, one that would become increasingly hard to fill as the window rolls on.
Gerhard Struber should build his squad around Bird and Knight
Gerhard Struber Koln
If the Robins’ new boss is serious about competing for promotion next term, it is imperative he keeps hold of his midfield pairing.
Selling even one of the two would represent a lack of ambition from Bristol City, who should be looking to build on last season’s success.
City have just signed Adam Randell from Plymouth Argyle, and do have the experienced figure of Joe Williams in the dressing room too, but the partnership of Bird and Knight should be viewed as a cornerstone piece of the club's future.
Losing Manning was already a heavy blow for the Ashton Gate outfit and having to bid farewell to two more of their prize assets may lead some fans to question the ultimate intentions of their higher-ups.
Therefore, Bristol City must do whatever it takes to keep Bird and Knight at the club this summer.
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