Bristol City fans will love what Anis Mehmeti has said to Lorent Tolaj after joining | OneFootball

Former Robin Anis Mehmeti has given Bristol City a glowing review to new recruit Lorent Tolaj

Bristol City's impressive summer transfer window continued with the marquee arrival of Plymouth Argyle frontman Lorent Tolaj.

The Swiss striker became the eighth new face through the door at Ashton Gate this summer, and followed in the footsteps of goalkeepers Sam Tickle and Brad Collins as players who excelled in League One last season and have since moved to the Championship side.

Tolaj's rapid ascent up the EFL has been nothing short of remarkable thus far. The last three seasons have seen him play in the National League, League Two and League One for three different clubs, and he'll make it a fourth division in four years at Bristol City.

The 24-year-old netted 18 times in just 33 third-tier outings last season, assisting a further eight times, too. He definitely deserved the Championship move, and all eyes will be on how he performs at Ashton Gate.

Tolaj, despite representing Switzerland at youth level, has Albanian heritage and can represent Albania at international level, similarly to a former Bristol City fan favourite who has reacted to the signing announcement.

Anis Mehmeti reacts as Lorent Tolaj secures Bristol City move

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Albanian international Anis Mehmeti, like Tolaj, made the switch to Bristol City after excelling in League One. The former Wycombe Wanderers man scored nine and assisted three before his move to Ashton Gate midway through the 2022/23 campaign.

After scoring 12 times to help the Robins make the second tier play-offs in the 2024/25 campaign, he began last season by scoring eight and assisting six, which piqued the interest of promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town.

With Mehmeti coming to the end of his contract, Bristol City decided to cash in, and the 25-year-old will now be in line to make his Premier League debut at Portman Road this summer.

That doesn't mean that the attacking midfielder hasn't forgotten his three years at Ashton Gate, and he praised the club in the Robins' comment section of the Instagram announcement of Tolaj's signing.

"You will love it, brother. Enjoy bisha💪🏼🇦🇱❤️," he commented. Bisha translates to "beast" or "wild animal" in Albanian, tapping into both of their heritages. Mehmeti, like Tolaj, was born outside of Albania but has close Albanian ancestors.

Robins fans will definitely be a little disappointed that this rather productive and exciting transfer window came in the wake of the one that saw the 25-year-old leave for Portman Road, as a Tolaj/Mehmeti duo at the heart of the Bristol City attack would have been quite dangerous next season.

However, his endorsement of the club will leave those fans happy to know that he sees Bristol City in a positive light after his departure.

Bristol City have plenty to look forward to next season with Lorent Tolaj up front

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Since Andy Weimann's 22-goal campaign in 2021/22, Bristol City haven't had anyone score more than 13 goals in a single league season, including the 2024/25 term, which ended in the top six.

The Robins will definitely be looking at the expanded play-offs as a way to increase their chances of promotion, but even if that wasn't the aim, the prospect of bringing in a frontman who is definitely capable of pushing the high teens and low twenties when it comes to goals will have been high on the transfer wishlist this summer.

There haven't been too many examples in the last few seasons of strikers continuing their goalscoring dominance from League One in the division above, but Tolaj has all the tools to buck that trend.

Plus, his ability to set teammates up too makes him a dangerous, dynamic frontman, which will definitely trouble defences in the Championship next season.

Michael Skubala's side have definitely made a splash thus far in the summer transfer window, and all eyes will be on whether the Robins can make a play-off return under him in the 2026/27 campaign.