Timm Klose’s heartwarming farewell message as he leaves Bristol City

Switzerland defender Timm Klose has expressed his thanks to Bristol City after his contract was terminated on transfer deadline day, bringing to an end his one-year stay at the club.

Klose’s time at Ashton Gate ended after both his and Chris Martin’s deals were brought to an end six months early. The 34-year-old’s contract was up at the end of the season, but it has been ended before then to allow him to find a new club in the meantime.

Klose joined the Robins on a free transfer last season after his contract at Norwich City came to an end. He initially joined on a six-month contract, but his stay was extended last summer for a further season after he impressed manager Nigel Pearson.

“I just wanted to take the chance to say THANK YOU to all the fans,” he said in a post on social media platform Instagram, with a slideshow of photos attached from his time at the club.

“It was a pleasure to play for BristolCityFC, and I also want to THANK my teammates, manager, staff and everyone involved in and around this beautiful club for making me feel welcome from day one. Time to say GOODBYE and see what the future holds for me.”

Klose’s now former teammates responded with Andi Weimann, Andy King, Ayman Benarous, Duncan Idehen, Kal Naismith and Zak Vyner wishing him all the best.

He was left out of the last 11 match-day squads and had discussions with first-team boss Pearson and the board about a possible move at the start of the month. The return to fitness from Tomas Kalas meant that there was defensive cover, which made Klose’s task of getting back in to the squad difficult. He and Martin were two of three deadline-day departures with Dylan Kadji joining Swindon Town on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Klose made 30 appearances in total for Bristol City, with 18 in his first season, and 12 in the current campaign with six clean sheets. His last game for the club was against Middlesbrough, playing the entirety of the match in a 1-1 draw back in early November.