One Bristol City player surely won't like Tolaj and Ballard news | OneFootball

Bristol City have brought in two very exciting League One strikers, but where does that leave Emil Riis?

Bristol City's raid on League One this summer has been blatant, but it's put them in an exciting position ahead of the new campaign.

The Robins kicked off their off-season by bringing in the man who dominated the division in the dugout last season with Lincoln City, Michael Skubala, collecting 103 points and going on a 29-game unbeaten run to close out the campaign.

Since then, they have signed arguably the best goalkeeper in the division over the past three years in Sam Tickle, and the two best strikers from last year, too, in Lorent Tolaj and, recently, Dom Ballard.

It's required a lot of investment and resembles a lot of backing for the new manager, especially for the latter two frontmen, with reports stating that Tolaj cost Bristol City £4 million and Ballard went for £5 million.

But with 41 goals between them in the third tier last season, plus plenty of potential to get even better in the Robins fold, it should be worth it, and a lot of those in the stands at Ashton Gate are excited to see what they can do in the second tier this year.

Emil Riis will hate seeing Lorent Tolaj and Dom Ballard sign for Bristol City this summer

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One man who won't be too enthused about the news will be Emil Riis, whose place in the side is in serious jeopardy following the arrival of two new, exciting, young strikers.

The towering frontman was the highlight in what was an otherwise uneventful summer transfer window under Gerhard Struber this time last year, choosing to move to the West Country at the conclusion of his Preston North End contract.

At Deepdale, Riis was a serviceable Championship frontman. His highlight campaign of the five he spent there came in 2021/22, when he netted 16 league goals, and in his final term, he scored 12.

While Bristol City weren't able to build on their play-off campaign in 2024/25 last year, Riis was a regular part of the side under Struber and during the opening stages of Roy Hodgson's short reign at the helm towards the end of the season.

With nine league goals in 44 games, the Danish frontman could have been earmarked to continue leading the line as the Robins looked to build back towards being a play-off-calibre side, but it seems like the higher-ups are looking to replace him as the main frontman.

Emil Riis' place as the sole striker at Bristol City is certainly under threat

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Now, Bristol City did come into this off-season with Riis as their only recognised striker on the books, with Sinclair Armstrong and Harry Cornick both departing. When the 28-year-old was being benched towards the end of the campaign, Delano Burgzorg was taking his place.

So, the Robins always needed attacking reinforcements this summer if they were to progress under Michael Skubala.

But, in bringing in two younger frontmen with a bigger upside, you'd imagine that Riis has quickly gone from first, and really only, choice as the starting striker to now being third choice.

With 50 goals in 216 Championship appearances across the last six seasons, there's no doubt that Dane is a solid option, someone who can score one in every four or five games and, for the most part, can stay healthy throughout the year, too.

But if the Robins are to return to the top eight this season, they need someone who can be better than being a 'solid' option, someone who can push 15-20 goals in a campaign, and Riis hasn't been that sort of striker for five years now.

Michael Skubala could still use Emil Riis elsewhere, as he did with Rob Street at Lincoln City

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Refreshing the striker department at Ashton Gate should give Bristol City a good opportunity to develop a 20-goal-a-season player, helping Michael Skubala's side to return to where they were a couple of years ago.

But that doesn't mean that Riis should be deemed surplus to requirements. Firstly, his vast Championship experience can be useful for the new-look striker core. Neither Ballard nor Tolaj have played in the second tier before.

And secondly, if Michael Skubala takes to the Bristol City job as he did Lincoln with a similar philosophy, we can expect the Robins to be quite a direct team, looking to get in their opponents' faces and create chances quickly.

In League One last season, the Imps were a bottom-four team for average passes per game and had the lowest possession, too. But they still created the fourth-most big chances and averaged the fifth-highest shots on target per game.

Additionally, Rob Street, a six-foot-two striker, was often deployed on the right wing under Skubala, especially in the early stages of the campaign when James Collins was leading the line before his injury.

Perhaps the similarly sized Riis could be morphed into a wide forward under the new manager, helping win aerial duels to send through the likes of Tolaj and Ballard.

Now, that won't be the most ideal scenario for the 28-year-old this summer. Ideally, he'd still be first choice, and he'd dislike the fact he now isn't seemingly seen as such. But there's still a possibility for Riis to be used effectively, even if the striker position is a lot more saturated,