Bristol City signing this 29-year-old on loan in the Championship would be the right move and here’s why

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Sayan Chatterjee

Why Nakhi Wells to Bristol City would be a brilliant move

According to Sky Sports, Bristol City have made contact with Burnley over a permanent deal for striker Nakhi Wells, who is currently out on loan at QPR in the Championship. 

The 29-year-old’s loan agreement at Loftus Road has a recall clause and the Clarets are considering whether to trigger that option to facilitate a permanent move to Bristol City before the January deadline. (h/t Sky Sports)

Bristol Live understands that the Robins are still interested in bolstering their attacking firepower with the recruitment of a new striker before the end of the month, having failed to get a loan deal for Arsenal starlet Eddie Nketiah over the line. 

nakhi wells
Nakhi Wells has scored 13 goals in 26 appearances for QPR in the Championship so far this season (Getty Images)

Forgotten Crystal Palace man Connor Wickham has also been touted with a loan switch to Ashton Gate in the ongoing window. (h/t Bristol Live)

Wells, who is currently serving his second consecutive loan spell at QPR, has plundered 13 goals in 26 appearances for Mark Warburton’s QPR so far in the Championship this term. The Hamilton-born star previously netted 45 times in 144 Championship outings for Huddersfield Town before earning a move to the top-flight with Burnley back in the summer of 2016. 

Having fallen agonizingly short in their pursuit of a playoff spot in the previous campaign, the Robins have a golden chance of making amends this time around. Lee Johnson has been short of firepower in front of the goal following the long-term cruciate ligament injury to Stoke City loanee Benik Afobe early in the campaign. 

Nakhi Wells
Bristol City are keen to secure the services of Nakhi Wells in a permanent deal (Getty Images)

Andreas Weimann and Famara Diedhiou have done a decent job up top for the Robins so far but some additional cover would be wise. 

As per Whoscored, the 29-year-old has averaged 0.7 goals per 90 minutes, which is way better than Diedhiou’s average of 0.4 and Weimann’s 0.3. The real gulf in quality lies in the shot conversion rate of the respective strikers.

Wells has converted 28.9% of his shots into goals (total of 45 shots this season), compared to 15.6% by Diedhiou (45 shots this season) and 14.5% by Weimann (62 shots this season). 

Verdict

All in all, Nakhi Wells fits the bill as a striker with proven Championship pedigree and Bristol City should go all out in their pursuit of the Bermudan international before the January deadline.