£15k-a-week Bristol City star must seek Ashton Gate exit this summer | OneFootball

Harry Cornick had a wretched 2024-25 with Bristol City, and as one of their highest earners it may suit both him and the club to seek pastures new.

Harry Cornick endured a wretched 2024-25 season with Bristol City, and as one of the club's highest earners a move elsewhere may suit both him and his club.

Bristol City arguably out-stripped pre-season expectations by finishing in sixth place in the Championship at the end of the 2024-25 season, before losing to Sheffield United in the play-off semi-finals.

But one player who was missing from most of the action was forward Harry Cornick.

The 30-year-old signed for the Robins in January 2023 from Luton Town on a three-and-a-half-year contract, but after 18 months during which he was a regular in the team, the 2024-25 season went somewhat differently for the former Hatters star.

Harry Cornick had a 2024-25 season to forget

Although not overly blessed with goals, with just three scored in the league during his first 18 months as a Robins player, Cornick's first season-and-a-half at Ashton Gate at least saw him playing regular football, albeit often as a result of coming off the bench.

But this changed for the 2024-25 season. By the end of the January transfer window, he had still not played a single minute of football for Bristol City all season in the Championship, with his only appearance to that point having been a brief appearance from the bench against Coventry City in the Carabao Cup in August.

Shortly before Christmas, head coach Liam Manning had said that he would allow Cornick to "explore his options" during the upcoming transfer window.

When it didn't come to anything on the transfer front last winter, Manning followed that up by saying that, "he's definitely someone that is in contention now", but this wasn't really reflected in game-time throughout the remainder of the season.

Cornick ended 2024-25 having made just five appearances including the play-offs - all from the bench - for the club in all competitions throughout the season.

Cornick's departure from Ashton Gate could suit both player and club

Although Manning has now left Ashton Gate for Norwich, questions remain over whether Cornick should stay with the club.

At 30 years of age, the player himself surely won't want to continue warming the bench for too much longer, and leaving could get him valuable game time elsewhere.

But moving him on could also benefit Bristol City. Capology estimates suggest that he's on £15,000-a-week at Ashton Gate, making him the club's joint-third-highest earning player.

Shifting that amount of money from their books would free up cash to be spent elsewhere, and it doesn't benefit them in the slightest to be spending that amount of money on a player who won't be regularly starting for the first-team.

Cornick signed a three-and-a-half-year contract when he first signed for Bristol City, meaning he's entering the final year of his contract next season, but he's under no obligation to leave this summer, while the club are under no obligation to sell him.

But an amicable agreement between the two could be reached that allows him to rebuild his career in its autumn years, while removing him from the club's wage bill.

The Robins have also added further competition to the forward department this summer too with the signing of Emil Riis, and new boss Gerhard Struber will no doubt be looking for further reinforcements at the top-end of the pitch.

Therefore, Cornick may well end the summer at Ashton Gate having been pushed even further towards the fringes, and as such, his departure could be an agreement that suits both parties down to the ground.