Bristol City and Liam Manning made plenty of changes to their playing squad during last summer’s transfer windowAndy King, Andi Weimann and Dire Mebude all left Bristol City last summer(Image: Getty Images)

The summer transfer window is now open, for the time being at least. From now until June 10, Bristol City and other clubs in England have their first chance to make changes to their playing squad before the window closes again until June 16 due to the Club World Cup.

While the Robins certainly have bigger fish to fry at the moment with Liam Manning’s departure seemingly imminent, fans will be expecting some movement in and out of Ashton Gate sooner rather than later.

Last summer saw Manning put his stamp on the squad for the first time after a quiet winter window in the months prior.

The likes of Scott Twine, Luke McNally, Fally Mayulu and Yu Hirakawa all arrived in BS3 to varying degrees of success while 10 players with varying degrees of first-team experience headed out of the exit door. Older heads such as Andi Weimann, Matty James and Andy King were released while younger prospects such as Duncan Idehen, Marlee Francois and Dylan Kadji departed for pastures new.

They have all had a mixture of success and disappointment over the 12 months or so that have followed. As the cogs continue to turn in the background at Ashton Gate, we’ve taken the chance to check up on how their stories have continued…

READ MORE: Bristol City and Norwich City now close to Liam Manning agreement as negotiations continueREAD MORE: Top scorers and academy graduates: 10 ex-Bristol City players Robins could face in ChampionshipMatty James – Wrexham

There was an element of surprise 12 months ago when Matty James was among the names included on Bristol City’s released list. While there had always been a chance the midfielder would depart BS3 as a free agent, it felt to many as if he still had a role to play in what was otherwise an inexperienced side under Liam Manning.

It took the 33-year-old more than a little bit of time to find a new club after departing Ashton Gate. In the end, James put pen to paper on a short-term deal with Wrexham in October of last year, before signing a new 18-month contract with Phil Parkinson’s side two months later in December.

Ultimately, James played 32 times as Wrexham secured promotion to the Championship as runners-up in League One. The veteran midfielder found the net on two occasions, one of which came against Bristol Rovers in the penultimate home game of the season. Now, James looks set to face off against both City and Leicester next season in the Championship.

Tommy Conway – Middlesbrough

The headline departure of last summer’s transfer window, Tommy Conway completed a big-money move to Bristol City’s Championship rivals Middlesbrough after making it clear he wasn’t intending to sign a contract extension at Ashton Gate.

Tommy Conway celebrates in front of Bristol City supporters(Image: Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)

On an individual basis, Conway enjoyed his most successful season in front of goal yet. The Scotland international scored 13 goals in 36 Championship appearances, one of which came against the Robins in BS3, while also picking up a single assist. However, as a collective, Michael Carrick’s side fell short of their ultimate goal this term.

Middlesbrough ultimately finished 10th in the Championship, four points behind City and the play-off places. Though they remained in the top six battle for the majority of the campaign, a poor run of form following the January transfer window meant that they never looked likely to keep their Premier League dream alive.

Andi Weimann – Blackburn Rovers

Another player released come the end of the 2023/24 campaign, it was clear long before the end of the season Andi Weimann’s time as a Bristol City player was done when he was loaned to West Brom during the January transfer window.

With his contract not renewed at Ashton Gate, Weimann remained in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers and enjoyed an impressive maiden season in blue and white. The Austrian international scored seven goals in 30 league appearances, including one against Liam Manning’s side, before his season was ended prematurely in March by a knee injury.

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The 33-year-old has been offered a new deal by Rovers this summer but has also reportedly caught the eye of another of his former clubs Derby County. It is unclear where his future lies but it seems likely that he will face the Robins in some capacity next season.

Andy King – Leicester City

The third senior player released by Bristol City at the end of last season, Andy King retired last summer with the Robins’ final day thrashing at the hands of Stoke City the final game of his impressive playing career.

Just months after hanging up his boots, King joined Leicester City Under-18s as head coach Adam Barradell’s assistant and soon after, he took up a role as part of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first-team coaching set-up.

Unfortunately for him, the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League at the first time of asking and with uncertainty around Van Nistelrooy’s future at the King Power, it is unclear how or if King’s role will be impacted.

Dire Mebude – KV Westerlo

He may never have been a permanent Bristol City player but Dire Mebude’s short spell at Ashton Gate came to an end last summer following the conclusion of his loan move from KV Westerlo. In total, the winger made just three appearances in red and white, all of which came off of the bench.

Dire Mebude spent six months at Bristol City on loan last season(Image: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)

After making 17 appearances for Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League in the first half of the season, the 21-year-old joined Hamburger on loan during the January transfer window. The Scotland youth international played four times in the Bundesliga 2., starting just once, as his loan club finished second in the league to win promotion back to the top tier of German football.

Duncan Idehen – Derry City

After breaking into the Bristol City first-team under the management of Nigel Pearson, Duncan Idehen never really managed to hold down a consistent place at Ashton Gate before being released as a free agent last summer.

Having previously enjoyed loan spells with Yeovil Town and Carlisle United, the defender made the move to Ireland with Derry City 12 months ago.

Idehen played three times for his new club across October and November before joining Ballymena United on loan in January. While he started back-to-back Premiership games in February, he didn’t make another league appearance for his loan side until he played a single minute in a playout draw with Carrick Rangers in April.

Harvey Wiles-Richards – Bath City

Another youngster released by Bristol City last summer, Harvey Wiles-Richards had spent plenty of time as the Robins’ third choice ‘keeper prior to his Ashton Gate exit just over a year ago.

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Upon his departure, he joined National League South side Bath City where he made 44 league appearances this term and won Player’s Player of the Year as the Romans finished 15th in the league. In March, the 22-year-old put pen to paper on a new contract which will see him remain at Twerton Park until the end of next season.

Marlee Francois – Auckland FC

Prior to his release last summer, Marlee Francois had only made two competitive appearances for the Bristol City first team, both of which had come off of the bench in the FA Cup.

Now, the 22-year-old is plying his trade in the A-League with Auckland FC. This term, he has scored once in 15 competitive appearances but he and his teammates were beaten 2-1 on aggregate by Melbourne Victory in the play-offs last week.

Dylan Kadji – Weston-Super-Mare

Yet another youngster handed his debut by Nigel Pearson, Dylan Kadji was in and around the Bristol City first-team in the 2022/23 season, even grabbing a goal as the Robins beat Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup. Loan spells at Swindon Town, Forest Green Rovers and Aldershot Town followed before the midfielder was released last summer.

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He remained local this season, playing regularly for Weston-Super-Mare in the National League South as they finished just outside of the play-off places.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman – Birmingham City

The final player to depart Bristol City last summer, Taylor Gardner-Hickman left Ashton Gate on loan a year after he joined the Robins in order to play consistent first-team football with Birmingham City in League One.

In total, the former West Brom prospect made 33 appearances, scored three goals and laid on two assists for his teammates as Blues romped to the League One title with a record 111 points.

Chris Davies’ side confirmed in January that they would be making Gardner-Hickman’s move to St Andrew’s permanent this summer and now, the 23-year-old will almost certainly face off against the Reds in the Championship next season.

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