Bristol City has signed Saint-Etienne striker Lois Diony on a loan deal for the remainder of the season. It has been confirmed that the French forward will join the Robins this month with a view to a permanent move in the summer. The ex-Dijon striker joined the Ligue 1 outfit last summer for a reported fee in the region of £7m. The 25-year-old is set to make his Bristol City debut versus Queens Park Rangers at the Ashton Gate Stadium in the English Championship on Saturday.
In an interview with the club’s official website, the Robins boss Lee Johnson was quoted to have said,
“Loïs is a very interesting signing for us.
“He boasts a good record in France and I believe he has all the attributes to be a big success for us in the Championship.”
Since joining Saint-Etienne last summer, Diony found the back of the net 11 times to help the Mustards avoid relegation from Ligue 1. In 2012, the French striker made his professional debut for FC Nantes before signing for his boyhood club Mont-de-Marsan. The Ligue 1 ace went on to help Dijon secure promotion to the top tier of French football and was the top-scorer for his team in 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.
The forward will be able to feature in his first competitive match for the Robins in their Sky Bet Championship clash against QPR subject to international clearance and witnessed his new teammates suffer a bitter home defeat versus league leaders Manchester City at Ashton Gate on Wednesday night.
The Robins has recently fallen off the pace in the league suffering three defeats in their last four league games. They are currently sitting in 5th place in the Championship and are well in contention to secure a playoff spot at the end of the season. Although, with some of their competitors for the playoff positions already strengthening in this transfer window, they were in need to do the same and the addition of Diony could undoubtedly bolster their attacking options going into the second half of their campaign.
The 25-year-old is highly versatile and can operate as a striker or on the right flank. However, his lack of goals this season would be a cause for concern with Bristol City looking to bang in some goals in the coming matches. They are out of the League Cup and the FA Cup so Lee Johnson’s team will only concentrate on securing promotion to the Premier League this term. It remains to be seen if Diony will be a success at Ashton Gate or a bust.
