When Bristol City announced the signing of Bournemouth man Lee Tomlin in 2016, expectations were very high at Ashton Gate.
Tomlin initially made the move to BS3 on loan in January 2016, but just a few months later in the summer transfer window, the Robins announced a permanent move for the attacking midfielder for a reported fee of over £3million.
Things hadn’t quite worked out for the player in the Premier League at Bournemouth, but the signing of Tomlin still proved a very exciting move for Robins supporters, and they were understandably expecting big things from the player.
However, it’s fair to say that Tomlin flopped at Ashton Gate, and the destination of his move from the club just a season later irked Robins’ supporters.
Lee Tomlin’s time at Bristol City
Lee Tomlin made the move to newly promoted Premier League side Bournemouth from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2015, but struggled to get regular playing time at Dean Court, making just 10 appearances, with only six of them coming in the Premier League.
This meant that Cherries boss Eddie Howe was happy to loan the player to Bristol City in January 2016, and Tomlin did impress during his loan spell at Ashton Gate.
The attacking midfielder made 18 Championship appearances, scoring six times, and registering two assists for the Robins during the second-half of the 2015/15 season campaign, showing he was one of the best players in the league on his day.
Robins boss Lee Johnson had seen enough to fork out a fee of over £3million that summer, making him the club’s second-highest record signing at the time.
