Bristol City made a lot of money via the sale of Aden Flint to Middlesbrough and the signing of Adam Webster in his place.
Supporters were understandably upset when Bristol City lost key center defender Aden Flint to Championship rivals Middlesbrough in the summer of 2018.
They had no idea, though, that Flint’s exit would end up being even more profitable for the team in the long run than the £7 million Middlesbrough had paid for the center defender.
The Boro-bound player was replaced by Adam Webster, who the Robins signed from Ipswich. Webster’s season-long exploits were even more remarkable than Flint’s had been throughout the 2017–18 campaign.
It led to the club receiving a big fee for Webster the following summer, and the club made big profits on both players – very good business from the Robins.
Aden Flint joined Bristol City in 2013, and after a successful 2017/18 campaign which had seen him make 46 appearances across all competitions, he was the subject of summer transfer interest.
Not only had Flint shown that he was a good defender, but he was also a goal threat, and he scored nine times for the Robins during the 2017/18 campaign, including one against Manchester City in a League Cup semi-final.
After 246 appearances for Bristol City, supporters were sad to see Flint leave, and it seemed a massive blow for them at the time.
However, the £7million Bristol City received for Flint softened the blow somewhat as they’d only paid £300,000 to bring him to the club in 2013.
It was a massive profit, and it’s fair to say that the club reinvested it well.
In the summer of 2018, Bristol City moved to sign Adam Webster from Ipswich, for a reported initial fee of £3.5million.
Webster thrived at Ashton Gate, and in his one season at the club he became one of the Championship’s best defenders, leading to interest from Premier League sides.
This led to Premier League side Brighton forking out a huge £20million to bring him to the club, making him their club record signing.
It was yet another huge profit, and with the sales of Aden Flint and Adam Webster combined, the club had received £27million in transfer fees.
Considering Flint only cost £300k, and Webster cost £3.5m, it meant that the club had made a total profit of £23.2million on the two players – very shrewd business which meant that the Robins could subsequently reinvest money into their squad.
Flint’s £7million move to Middlesbrough saw him stay at the Riverside Stadium for just one season, before moving to Bristol City’s Severnside rivals, Cardiff City.
Flint’s time in the Welsh capital was mixed, and he was released in the summer of 2022.
He joined Stoke City on a short-term deal, but failed to make an impact for the Potters and was released in the summer of 2023.
Now 34-years-old, Flint is playing for Mansfield Town in League Two, and looks set to help the club win promotion to League One.
Adam Webster, on the other hand, is playing for Brighton in the Premier League, and has played in the Europa League for the Seagulls this season before they were eventually knocked out by Italian giants Roma.
Webster has struggled somewhat for playing time this season, but he’s still a member of Roberto Di Zerbi’s squad and features as part of the matchday squad on a regular basis.
Bristol City’s supporters would have been gutted when Flint left in the summer of 2018, but it shows how, with smart recruitment, key players can be replaced and even upgraded.
The signings, and subsequent sales, of both Webster and Flint proved to be fantastic pieces of business by Bristol City, which put the club on a stable financial footing and gave the club cash for future transfers.
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