Bristol City Opinion: Signing Scott Hogan could be a decent piece of business for the Robins
According to Birmingham Live, Bristol City have been credited with an interest in Aston Villa striker Scott Hogan in the summer transfer window, with reports claiming that Robins manager Lee Johnson is looking to bolster his attacking options.
Bristol City were linked with the 27-year-old back in January but Hogan opted to join Championship high-flyers Sheffield United on loan instead. (h/t Birmingham Mail)
However, as the reports suggest, the Robins’ interest in the Salford-born forward is likely to resurface this summer, with the 27-year-old’s future at Villa Park still unclear, following the club’s promotion to the Premier League.
Hogan made just 6 substitute appearances for Aston Villa in the Championship in the first half of the previous campaign before moving out on loan to join Sheffield United in January.
The 27-year-old’s stint at Bramall Lane proved to be a fruitful one, as the Irishman contributed with 2 goals and an assist in 8 Championship outings to propel the Blades to the Premier League for the first time since 2006-07.
A youth product of Rochdale, Hogan featured for a multitude of non-league clubs, including the likes of Woodley Sports, Halifax Town, Ashton United and Hyde before returning to his boyhood club ahead of the 2013-14 season. Hogan netted 19 goals in 40 appearances in the 2013-14 campaign to propel Rochdale to a third-place finish third in League Two and his prolific form earned him a coveted move to the Championship with Brentford back in the summer of 2014.
It was at Griffin Park that Hogan rose to prominence and carved out a big reputation for himself in the Championship, scoring 14 goals in 25 appearances for the Bees in the first half of the 2016-17 season before being snapped up by Aston Villa in January 2017. A move to Villa Park, however, didn’t particularly work in his favour, and Hogan slipped down the pecking order at the club after finding the net on only 6 occasions in the 2017-18 campaign.
Hogan’s Villa career was probably over last season itself, and now that the Lions have secured promotion to the Premier League, it is highly unlikely that they would consider the 27-year-old as a viable option in the top-flight next season. Sheffield United were believed to be interested but the Blades too are looking at better striking options.
To put things into perspective, it won’t be a bad idea for Bristol City to offer Hogan an escape route this summer, although he is still under contract at Villa Park until 2021 and the Robins won’t be able to get their hands on him for free. The 27-year-old’s time at Aston Villa hasn’t been a fruitful one but his previous goalscoring exploits at Brentford should prompt Bristol to make a move for him.
Bristol City will be looking to go one step further in the Championship next season and secure a playoff spot after the Robins finished 8th last term and narrowly missed out on a top-six finish. While defensive reinforcements are likely to be a priority for manager Lee Johnson, following the departure of Lloyd Kelly to Bournemouth and loanees Jay Dasilva and Tomas Kalas to their parent club Chelsea, bringing in someone like Hogan would certainly bolster their attacking unit.
Famara Diedhiou hit 13 goals in the Championship last term, while Andreas Weimann was another key contributor with goals and assists up front. Matty Taylor and Jamie Paterson also chipped in with some valuable contributions but the Robins need a little bit more depth and quality in their attack to enhance their chances of securing a playoff spot next season.
It is true that Hogan won’t be much of an upgrade on Bristol’s existing options up front but the Robins might as well look at the 27-year-old as someone who could add a bit more experience and depth to their forward line. And, if he manages to rediscover the kind of prolific form that he showed at Brentford, the Robins could have a gem on their hands for a pretty reasonable price.
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All in all, the fans at Ashton Gate probably won’t be too excited to hear about the club’s links with Scott Hogan but signing the 27-year-old could prove to be a shrewd piece of business for the Robins.
