Bristol City must ignore Huddersfield switch and take £0 West Brom gamble | OneFootball

Bristol City should take a risk on former West Brom striker Daryl Dike this summer

Preparations at Bristol City for the next campaign are well and truly underway, with numerous key appointments made in what will be a new-look Robins side at Ashton Gate in the upcoming season.

Key decisions have been made in the hierarchy at Bristol City over recent months.

Michael Skubala was poached from soon-to-be division rivals Lincoln City to become the club's new permanent head coach following the departure of Roy Hodgson, a decision highly influenced by new sporting director James Ellis, who recently joined after a previous spell as technical director at Arsenal.

Ellis himself was appointed by chief executive Charlie Boss, who himself was only appointed in his role in February by chairman Jon Lansdown, as the Robins hierarchy is complete.

The next step for the club is bringing in players for Skubala to work with on the pitch, as links to Huddersfield Town's Joe Taylor have already emerged, with the pair having previously worked together at Lincoln in 2024.

Taylor joined the Terriers in January 2025 from Luton Town for around £3 million, but has struggled to get to grips with life in West Yorkshire, and most recently had a spell with Wigan Athletic on loan.

Alan Nixon has stated the club is open to a sale, but wants their money back, as Bristol City should look elsewhere for a more cost-effective option, which, although it comes with a big risk, has the potential to pay off big time.

Bristol City should look to take a risk on former West Bromwich Albion striker Daryl Dike this summer ahead of Joe Taylor

Bristol City will almost certainly be in the market for reinforcements up top this summer, especially with the recent sale of Irish forward Sinclair Armstrong to Turkish side Goztepe.

Armstrong's sale, plus the fact that Delano Burgzorg's loan from Middlesbrough is due to expire, leaves just Emil Riis as the club's only senior centre-forward option heading into next season.

The Dane scored nine and assisted twice in 44 league appearances following his free switch from Preston North End in the summer, and was the club's main option up top throughout the campaign, but is in desperate need of stronger competition.

Whilst Taylor would be an interesting prospect, his quoted price tag presents some risks, as the Robins should consider a free move for American striker Daryl Dike instead.

Dike, 26, first landed on English shores with Barnsley during the second half of the 2020/21 season, joining on loan from Orlando, as the Tykes reached the Championship play-offs, and he subsequently joined West Brom in January 2022 for around £7 million.

It was viewed as a real coup by the Baggies, with Dike just 21 at the time of his arrival and widely viewed as one of the best young forwards around after his nine goals in 19 league games for Barnsley.

However, in just his second game for the club, Dike injured his hamstring, keeping him out for the rest of the season, which began a long string of injury woes for the American.

He would tear his right thigh muscle, tear his right Achilles, tear his left Achilles, and injured his thigh again over the next four years, as Dike missed more games than he would play at the Hawthorns, managing just 11 goals in 68 appearances during his stay in the Black Country, before being released this summer.

Now, Dike is on the hunt for a new club, though sides will no doubt be put off by his subpar injury record. Bristol City ought to look past this and give the American a chance to prove his worth at Ashton Gate, as, on a free transfer, the reward surely outweighs the risk.

Having displayed his clear ability for finding the back of the net at Championship level, Dike could be an excellent signing for a club that can look past his injury record and take on that burden, as Bristol City should be that club.

Michael Skubala will be looking to stamp his authority on the Bristol City squad and must consider Daryl Dike as an option

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Heading into the summer, Skubala will be keen to stamp his authority on the Bristol City squad.

The Englishman did an incredible job with Lincoln to guide the Imps to the second tier on over a century of points, overperforming every metric in terms of finances and the club's stature.

It would be difficult to deny that the Robins are a slight step up in both respects in comparison to Lincoln, but Skubala will nevertheless be hoping for similar results at Ashton Gate.

Key additions under his watch will be crucial to any success the club has this upcoming season, and Dike could be a risk worth taking.