"Disappointing" - Bristol City regret issued over Han-Noah Massengo | OneFootball

FLW's Bristol City fan pundit has suggested that Han-Noah Massengo's time at Ashton Gate could've been so much more, was ultimately a disappointment

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Bristol City have had some disappointing transfers in their time, and despite Han-Noah Massengo showing signs of his potential, he will ultimately go down as a poor investment from the Ashton Gate outfit.

The French midfielder signed for the Robins from AS Monaco in 2019 for a reported £7.3 million which included add-ons, and joined Ashton Gate with plenty of promise as an 18-year-old - with the transfer fee to boot.

He had impressed in Monaco's academy and had a few outings in the first-team, which included three appearances in the Champions League, as Lee Johnson jumped at the opportunity to sign him, with Premier League giants Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund reportedly also keen on the youngster.

Massengo never lived up to his full billing though, and after seeing out the final few months of his contract back in his home nation at Auxerre on loan, the midfielder found a new home in England, where he's beginning to settle under Scott Parker at Burnley, albeit not playing an awful lot once more.

Robins fans will remember his few great games in the Bristol City shirt, but many see his time as a disappointment.

Bristol City disappointment issued at Han-Noah Massengo's time at Ashton Gate

FLW's Bristol City fan pundit, Tom Sandy, was asked who he believed was a player who arrived with lots of hype, but ultimately under-delivered, labeling Massengo as the biggest let-down in his lifetime

"In my opinion, it would be Han-Noah Massengo. In that big spending season we had, bringing Tomas Kalas, Kasey Palmer, Jay Dasilva in and Massengo joined for around €8 million. I don't know if we paid all of that back, due to it being add-ons, but who am I to know," Sandy told Football League World.

"He's a player that came in very young. I believe Chelsea were sniffing around him to try and secure his signature, whilst they had their transfer embargo.

"It was an exciting transfer at the time, but he didn't even make it into our squad towards the end of his time, and left on a free transfer. When you have a player who is talented and young leaving in that fashion, it is always disappointing.

"He's now at Burnley, he's doing well enough, the fact he got the move to the Clarets shows there is clearly talent still there, and we did get some compensation back on the deal, I believe around £1 million, due to the fact that we offered him a contract before he left.

"We brought him in to deliver for us, and ultimately, at the end of the day after loan spells elsewhere, he left on a free.

"I don't think you can call his time at Ashton Gate a success, and I don't think he would call it a success either."

Massengo had his moments but could've been so much more for the Robins

Massengo's hype was warranted, as for a player at the age of 18, he did show signs in his first season at Ashton Gate that he could be a star, where he was starting regularly at least in the first half of the season.

After a few months though, the French starlet would soon start to be in and out of the starting 11 at Ashton Gate, and in the years to follow he would have long stints on the pitch, but it's hard to say he ever looked like a top Championship player consistently.

And after refusing to sign an extension to his expiring contract early on in the 2022/23 season, Massengo was essentially banished by then-manager Nigel Pearson, unceremoniously bringing an end to his time as a Robins player.

Massengo was able to somewhat impress for a few months with Auxerre, and that allowed him to make the move to Burnley, although much like at times during his stay in Bristol, he's very much a squad player at Turf Moor with little in the way of starts.

As a business decision though, City lost a lot of money on the signing of Massengo, having lost him for a minimal compensation figure, but there weren't enough matches that he showed the quality to match the 2019 price-tag.