Bristol City new boy sends message as rival Championship boss set for shock departure

Bristol City were in pre-season friendly action yesterday afternoon against Cheltenham Town.

The Robins ended up winning 2-0 after second-half goals from Tommy Conway and George Tanner.

Nigel Pearson put out a strong side and gave some useful minutes to new signings Kane Wilson, Mark Sykes and Kal Naismith, whilst Timm Klose, who signed a new contract also played a part.

They have more friendlies coming up against Portsmouth, Plymouth Argyle, Forest Green Rovers, Exeter City and AFC Bournemouth.

Here is a look at all the latest news coming out of Ashton Gate and the Championship this week...

Bajic’s message

Today’s clash against Cheltenham came too soon for Bristol City’s new goalkeeper.

Bajic, 20, completed his move on Tuesday evening after his contract expired with French club Pau and he will compete with Dan Bentley for the number one spot with Max O’Leary expected to depart for a League One club.

Bristol World understand Bajic was not included against Wade Elliott’s Cheltenham Town as he recovers from a minor wrist surgery and is waiting back on his international work visa before he can fully intergrate to

In the meantime, the stopper has taken to Twitter to send the following message (see below):

Bajic also revealed the part that birthday boy Han-Noah Massengo played in bringing him to the West Country. Massengo, who celebrates his 21st birthday today, was a teammate of Bajic in the France Under-19 setup.

“Han-Noah is a friend and I played with him,” Bajic explained to Robins TV. “When I saw that Bristol City wanted to sign me, I spoke with Han-Noah and he told me that it’s a great club, with a great infrastructure and staff.

“The Championship is good because you play every three days and it’s the best area to progress and improve, because my goal is to progress day by day. I’m excited to discover a new club and a new championship - I think Bristol City is the best place for me to improve.”

Three omitted from squad numbers

Bristol City have published their squad numbers for the next campaign and there are a few notable omissions, perhaps highlighting Nigel Pearson’s plans for the upcoming season.

Midfielder Tyreeq Bakinson, who spent part of last term on loan at Ipswich Town, has been left out. He has fallen down the pecking order and is expected to leave the club in this transfer window.

Defender Nathan Baker has also not been given a number, having not played a game for the club since November after sustaining a head injury against Sheffield United.

Will Buse, who signed a one-year contract extension was also not given a shirt number. He spent last year on loan at Taunton Town, winning the Southern League title, and could return there as they prepare for life in the National League South.

Moore opens up on move

The Robins have let centre-back Taylor Moore head out on loan again to get regular game time, which will likely bring an end to his stay at Ashton Gate.

He has opened up about his latest move to Shrewsbury Town and his career at City as well as hailing the influence of Steve Cotterill, as per the Shropshire Star:

“Bristol City has been a massive part of my life, I signed there when I was 19 years old and I'm 25 now. I know it's not always been the perfect journey but there are a lot of really good people at that club and I wish them nothing but the best.”

“Steve Cotterill is someone that I know from Bristol, I’ve met him a lot over the years so I know that the move was something that he’s eyed up and that he’s wanted to get done as quickly as possible but I’m obviously still contracted to Bristol City so it wasn’t as straight-forward.”

The centre-back has been loaned out to Bury, Cheltenham Town, Southend United, Blackpool and Hearts over recent years and his contract expires at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

Huddersfield boss set for shock departure

Carlos Corbean looks to be on his way out of Huddersfield as rumours swirl around of him potentially quitting the club today. A report from the Daily Mail says he has notified the Terriers of his intentions with interest from rival clubs, however no firm offer has been offered to him for the Spaniard to depart.

In what was his second season, he took them to the brink of the Premier League, losing to Nottingham Forest in the play-off final six weeks ago. So far they have made three new additions, signing Connor Mahoney from Millwall, David Kasumu from MK Dons and Cheltenham Town's skipper WIll Boyle, all on free transfers.