Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
David Byrom

LA Galaxy target former Bristol City and Aston Villa defender as move for ex-Middlesbrough star falls through

LA Galaxy are reportedly targeting a move for former Bristol City defender Derrick Williams.

Williams currently plays for Blackburn Rovers, who signed him from the Robins in 2016.

The Sun report that the MLS club are keen on Williams after halting interest in Burnley centre-back Ben Gibson, who has previously been linked to the Robins himself.

Gibson moved from to Burnley from boyhood club Middlesbrough for £15m in 2018 but has struggled for regular football at Turf Moor.

Williams was a regular in City's double-winning side of 2016 and made 111 league appearances in his three years at Ashton Gate, moving there from boyhood club Aston Villa.

The Irish international, born in Hamburg, has played 17 times this season for Tony Mowbray's Blackburn side.

Earlier this month, Mowbray shot down talk of Williams leaving.

He told the Lancashire Telegraph: "By word of mouth it’s landed with me but unless anyone picks the phone up and puts a number in front of us then there’s no question to answer I would suggest.

"You hear whispers and rumours but no-one has put any money down and made us make a decision.

"My first reaction is that it’s ludicrous, it’s silly, why would we weaken our squad by losing a player who might not be playing in the team at this moment but he’s a solid, experienced, sound player who’s played a lot of football for this club in several positions.

"There’s no decision to make because no-one has picked the phone up and asked the question."

He has kept in close contact with his former Robins teammates, and a screenshot of a group chat with the likes of Williams, Marlon Pack and Korey Smith was recently posted on social media.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.