‘Let’s have him’ to ‘a knee-jerk reaction’ - Bristol City fans give mixed reaction to Sol Bamba interest

Bristol City supporters appear to be split over the Robins’ interest in Sol Bamba, after it was exclusuviely revealed by BristolWorld that that the 37-year-old centre back was in training with the club.

Boss Nigel Pearson confirmed the former Cardiff City and Middlesborough player had started training at the High Performance Centre this week following the win over Luton Town last night (August 16).

Pearson said the player was ‘in the building for a couple of weeks to get fit and then we’ll see where it goes’, adding there were ‘no promises’.

Bamba has played 211 times in the Championship and 93 times in the Premier League, so would provide a bulk of experience both on and off the pitch. But what do the fans make of the potential acquisition of Bamba?

Some, including Nathaniel Starr, believe that his rich experience would be a welcome addition to sure up the backline.

“He will help develop players like (Zac) Vyner and other young defenders, I think it also adds a lot of leadership. We concede from a lot of individual mistakes, and I think he could help us cut them out,” he explained.

Dave Gordon agreed that Bamba could be a positive signing for the Robins and reflected on how well he had seen the Ivorian perform in the past.

“If he’s training with the City then they’ll see what he’s like and I’m sure if Nigel Pearson thinks he’ll do a job, he might not get every game but he might get the odd game.

“I saw him play for Cardiff, I think Neil Warnock signed him on loan at short notice, he came here and they slaughtered us and then he went to Middlesborough. He’s got some history so if he’s still got life in his legs, let’s have him.”

Although not all of the Robins faithful agree that it would be a good move. “Pace at the back has been a problem since we started this season and a 37-year-old isn’t going to be a resolution to that,” said Ryan Davies. “We could probably do with a younger pair of legs to be honest.”

Mike Harper agreed: “He’s played at a good level but it just feels like we’ve already got Timm Klose who’s the same as that, why do we need another old player?

“Klose has come in and done a good job, but do we need another player of the mould? We’ve got (Tomas) Kalas to come back who’s a top-class player when he’s playing well, it just feels as though it’s a knee-jerk reaction and I guess he’ll want some decent money for it as well.”

Several fans were also keen to point out Bamba’s history of playing for Cardiff as a factor against his signature, with the Bluebirds being one of the Robins rivals.

However, despite the veteran’s ex-clubs, Pearson is currently short on numbers in the centre of defence, with Kalas and Nathan Baker out injured.

Rob Atkinson, Kal Naismith and Zac Vyner have featured in all five of the Robins fixtures so far this term, but their overall presence at the back has been far from solid, apart from a good display against Luton Town on Tuesday night.

Pearson worked with Bamba in his second stint at Leicester City and the defender trained briefly at Derby County when the current Robins boss was in charge at the Rams.

While it’s no secret that Robins fans are hoping for a younger and more exciting signing, Bamba could bring some valuable traits to Pearson’s team.