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Rob Atkinson left Bristol City on loan in January(Image: Photo by Scott Llewellyn | MI News\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/p>\nRob Atkinson left Bristol City on loan during the winter transfer window, joining Portsmouth where he impressed at Fratton ParkRob Atkinson left Bristol City on loan in January(Image: Photo by Scott Llewellyn | MI News\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Bristol City defender Rob Atkinson admits he would like his future “sorted” after his loan spell with Portsmouth, insisting that while he would be “absolutely buzzing” to remain a Pompey player, he “will be happy” should the Reds decide to keep him at Ashton Gate.<\/p>\n
Atkinson was one of three senior players to depart BS3 on loan<\/a> during the winter transfer window, making the temporary move to Fratton Park, having not made a competitive appearance in almost two years. The 26-year-old had suffered an ACL injury in early 2023, which was followed by subsequent hamstring injuries.<\/p>\n While he returned to the City bench in the lead-up to the January window, the decision was taken to allow him to head to the South Coast in order to build both his match fitness and confidence<\/a>.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Joe Williams, Luke McNally, Mark Sykes: Bristol City injury latest ahead of end-of-season break<\/a>READ MORE: Steve Lansdown interview notebook: Liam Manning, Bristol City transfer plans and Semenyo sell-on<\/a><\/p>\n Although his loan was interrupted by a calf injury, which saw him miss two months of action, he managed to make 14 league appearances, scoring twice, as John Mousinho’s side comfortably avoided relegation by five points.<\/p>\n Atkinson’s displays not only won over the Portsmouth support but Mousinho as well, with the Pompey boss open about his desire to re-sign the 26-year-old<\/a> if possible this summer. Though the centre-back is more than open to the idea of returning to Fratton Park, he hasn’t shut the door on remaining a Robin.<\/p>\n “I have absolutely no idea what\u2019s going to happen,” the defender told Portsmouth News<\/a>. “I\u2019m going to have to wait and see how it pans out and what Bristol City<\/a> want to do with me.<\/p>\n Bristol City are fighting to secure their place in the play-off places and you won’t miss a beat with our free newsletter.<\/p>\n All the latest news, views, interviews, gossip and analysis concerning the Robins, delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n It’s completely free and you can sign up HERE<\/a><\/p>\n “I love Bristol City as a club and I have loved my time there, but, ultimately, I only have one year left, and that has to factor into my decision-making as well. There\u2019s a lot of things which need to happen. Truthfully, I am very fortunate. It\u2019s not nice to have that uncertainty, but it\u2019s nice to be wanted. Whatever happens, I\u2019m sure I will be happy.<\/p>\n “Pompey have told me they want me to stay, which is honestly flattering. If, in the future, I\u2019m a Portsmouth Football Club player I will be absolutely buzzing. If I\u2019m at Bristol City, I will be happy as well.<\/p>\n “I don\u2019t really see a scenario where I won\u2019t be happy, but I would like it sorted. I don\u2019t want that uncertainty, I want to relax and get on with my football without having to worry about where my future lies.<\/p>\n “If it doesn’t work out at Bristol City and, for whatever reason, they don\u2019t want me any more, I will be more than happy to play for Pompey again,” Atkinson continued. “The way I see it, it\u2019s up to Bristol City whether they want to keep me or not.<\/p>\n “I have not heard anything, I probably need to have a meeting at some point. This is not me trying to rush Bristol City into anything, I acknowledge the fact their season has just finished and they\u2019re entitled to have a bit of time to themselves. I watched the play-offs and I\u2019m devastated about the result against Sheffield United, I don\u2019t think the scoreline reflected the quality between the clubs whatsoever.<\/p>\n “They have other things to think about at the moment, which won\u2019t include me, so I\u2019m not expecting a conversation soon, not at all. I would just like it sorted.”<\/p>\n Atkinson put pen to paper on an initial three-year contract with the Robins<\/a> when he made the move to Ashton Gate from Oxford United in the summer of 2021. Just a matter of months after his knee injury in early 2023, he signed a new three-year deal, which is set to expire at the end of the next season.<\/p>\n Join Bristol City Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol City stories sent straight to your phone<\/strong><\/p>\n Bristol City Live<\/a> is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.<\/p>\n Through the app, we\u2019ll send the Bristol City news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.<\/p>\n To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select \u2018Join Community\u2019.<\/a><\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live<\/a> team.<\/p>\n We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.<\/p>\n To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose \u2018Exit group\u2019.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n Click here to join our WhatsApp community.<\/a><\/p>\n The 26-year-old isn’t the only senior player in such a situation at this moment in time. The likes of Anis Mehmeti<\/a>, George Tanner, Cam Pring and Zak Vyner, among others, are also set to be out of contract in just over 12 months’ time<\/a>. The uncertainty of being in such a situation will play a part in whatever decision Atkinson makes this summer as he looks to find as much security as possible.<\/p>\n “Going into the final year of your contract isn\u2019t a situation you want to be in,” the defender explained. “It\u2019s kind of crunch time, all or nothing.<\/p>\n “Anything can happen, the worst case scenario is you get injured and then run out your contract, not having shown anyone what you can do. There’s so much uncertainty around it.<\/p>\n “On the flipside, if you do super well, you could get a really good move somewhere because you\u2019re a very attractive prospect as you aren\u2019t tied down to a contract. Clubs can get you on a free, so it\u2019s a risk and reward.<\/p>\n “Ultimately, though, security is the most important thing. You want those years on your contract so you can rest easy and not worry about dips in form, injuries or whatever circumstances happen.”<\/p>\n READ MORE: Liam Manning shares Nahki Wells latest as Bristol City’s play-off campaign comes to an end<\/a>READ MORE: Liam Manning lifts lid on changing room message as Bristol City’s season ends in play-off loss<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rob Atkinson left Bristol City on loan during the winter transfer window, joining Portsmouth where he impressed at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":101246,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[381,2686,748,393,4884,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-101245","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-bristol","9":"tag-bristol-city-fc","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114507165517270773","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/2_Liam-Manning.jpg\")
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Bristol City defender Rob Atkinson(Image: EFL)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1744476931_129_0_WhatsApp-Phone.jpg\")
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