Ivan Toney is one of the big names AI believes Bristol City will sign if they win promotion.Ivan Toney is one of the big names AI believes Bristol City will sign if they win promotion.
Ivan Toney is one of the big names AI believes Bristol City will sign if they win promotion. | Getty Images
Bristol City are aiming to win promotion into the Premier League
Bristol City entered the final international break of the season on a high. A 2-1 victory over Norwich City, courtesy of goals from Mark Sykes and Nakhi Wells, marked the team’s 14th victory in 38 games this season and helped the Robins to maintain their seven match unbeaten streak which stretches back to a 1-0 loss to Swansea on 9 February.
Liam Manning’s side sit on 57 points, level with sixth placed West Brom and only two points adrift of fifth placed Coventry. They are now in top form and have only been beaten twice in the league since the start of 2025.
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The Ashton Gate faithful are hopeful that they can qualify for the play-offs for the first time since 2008 but what would happen on the transfer front if they were to go one step further and achieve a dream promotion to the top-flight for the first time since 1980.
Here we asked AI about the potential signings Bristol City would make if they reached the big time - and this was its intriguing response.
Who will Bristol City sign if they reach the Premier League?
Usings X’s AI Grok tool, we discovered that Bristol City are likely to sign as many as seven new players to help give them the quality to survive in the top-flight. Some of the targets are fairly realistic while others would likely take an outrageously large amount of money and arguably an even bigger imagination.
With that in mind, here is AI’s response: While no confirmed targets exist for a hypothetical 2025 summer window post-promotion, here are some plausible types of signings based on Bristol City’s past transfer behavior and Premier League needs:
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- Someone like Ivan Toney ,,or a younger prospect like Southampton’s Dom Ballard on loan at Cambridge United, could provide goals and experience.
Bristol City have previously signed talents like Alex Scott (sold to Bournemouth) and Antoine Semenyo. They might target current Championship stars, such as Coventry’s Callum O’Hare (a free agent in summer 2025) or Ipswich Town’s Jack Clarke, to step up with them.
**Veteran Experience**: A player like Aden Flint (currently at Mansfield Town), a former Bristol City stalwart, or a Premier League-experienced defender like James Tarkowski (Everton) could add leadership.
Our verdict: Prising Ivan Toney away from Al-Ahli would be real coup but it is highly unlikely given the mouthwatering wages he is on in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Dom Ballard at 19 is hardly experience and has found the net just once for Cambridge this season.
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Callum O’Hare is currently playing for Sheffield United despite AI still having him down as a Coventry player while Jack Clarke could be worth a punt based on his strong Championship showing despite failing to score in 24 outings for the Tractor Boys.
James Tarkowski would provide much needed experience and know-how but he still seems to be a regular at Everton. Aden Flint, meanwhile at 35 was solid in his first stint at Bristol City but is not ready to dramatically jump up two divisions after leaving Ashton Gate in 2018. As a sports writer (for the time being) we’re ahead of the robots.
How could Bristol City line-up next season if they reach the Premier League?
Next up, I asked AI, to build a Bristol City XI based on transfers if they were to achieve promotion to the top-flight.
Here is AI’s Bristol City XI: O’leary, Tanner, Zyner, Tarkowski(signing), Pring, Knight, O’hare( signing), Sykes, Twine, Mehmeti, Toney
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