Bristol ties, past City 'murmurs' and Robins switch explained by Jed Wallace

"My grandparents still live in Mangotsfield," he continues, further revealing ties to the West Country that predate his arrival at Ashton Gate this summer. "We've had friends and family in Portishead as well, so I know a little about the area.

"It is a really great place to live."

Despite those links, the 32-year-old's career had - until this summer - kept him away from south Bristol. Born in Reading, Wallace cut his teeth as a youth player before joining Portsmouth from Lewes aged 17 in the summer of 2011.

After four years on the South Coast, the Championship came calling with Wolves. For the majority of the decade since, the second tier has been home for the winger across spells with The Old Gold, Millwall and - most recently - West Brom.

Had things been different, however, a switch to Ashton Gate could have occurred long before this summer. Prior to his move to The Hawthorns four years ago, there had been some suggestions of the possibility of a move to the club that are now his current employers.

"There were murmurs, to be honest, even from when Lee Johnson was here a long, long time ago," Wallace recalls. "There was a bit of interest then.

"It has always been a club where, look at the stadium, the infrastructure is there. The training ground is an unbelievably impressive facility. It is, and has been, one of those clubs where you feel that everything is there geared for that push towards the Premier League."

All the latest news, views, interviews, gossip and analysis concerning the Robins, delivered straight to your inbox.

It's completely free and you can sign up HERE

Under Johnson's stewardship, no such move ever came to fruition. Instead, upon the expiry of his contract at The Den at the end of the 2021/22 campaign - a season in which Wallace had scored six goals and contributed an impressive 12 assists - the Baggies came calling.

The then 28-year-old put pen to paper on a four-year deal with Albion, who were under the management of Steve Bruce and had finished 10th in the Championship. Within four months, the former Newcastle United boss had been sacked and replaced by Carlos Corberan.

With the Spaniard at the helm, West Brom finished three points adrift of the play-offs in Wallace's first season with the club. The year after, they were beaten by Leeds United in the play-offs and by Christmas 2024, Corberan had left for Valencia. In the year-and-a-half since, the Baggies have had four different permanent managers, with James Morrison the most recent incumbent.

"The last 18 months have been a different challenge for me, being in and out of the team at West Brom," Wallace reflects. "I had a spell from probably January to the end of March where I felt, for the first time in a while, that I'd started playing to the level that I know I'm capable of.

"I probably needed that for my own confidence and my own self, to be honest, to think that I can still have a big impact at this level."

Having played his part as Albion dodged relegation - despite receiving a points deduction - last term, it was confirmed that Wallace would be leaving the Baggies upon the expiry of his contract, with 16 goals, 16 assists and 150 competitive appearances to his name.

As he had been four years prior, the winger was again without a club. This time around, though, links with City progressed beyond just rumoured interest.

"There were a lot of things this time that I had to consider," the 32-year-old says. "Obviously, my family being the main thing, but there were certain clubs that I looked at that I thought would be a good fit for me.

"I've said it before, but every time I've played at Ashton Gate and have played against Bristol City - and with the family affiliation - it has been a club that I've always thought I'd have liked to play for. When I knew the interest was there, it was straight away at the top of the list and something I really wanted to do.

"If I had gone through every box, it ticked them all to be honest," Wallace adds later. "I don't need to lie about that; there's no need to.

"There's everything from a football point of view. There's the fact that it isn't a million miles away from where my family are based. The fact it is a great place to live. There's the ambition of the football club that they feel they want to take that next step; before I'd signed, they'd already done three or four really good bits of business as well.

"It just felt like a no-brainer. To be fair to James [Ellis] and the gaffer, there wasn't a lot of messing around from my side and their side, which is why within two or three days it was done and I was able to get started."

News of Wallace's arrival as the Robins' fourth of seven additions made so far this summer came as a shock to supporters. While City's interest in Sam Tickle, Sam Greenwood and Gibson Yah had been reported before their respective moves, the first most knew of the 32-year-old's transfer came when he was pictured in the club's grey away kit at Ashton Gate.

"Do you know what it made me realise?" the winger jokes when asked about the secrecy around the move. "When you deal with normal people - like James, the gaffer and myself - and there aren't 150 different agents involved, and everyone is trying to leak something, it makes you realise how easily things can stay under wraps.

"To be fair, I'm not great at keeping secrets," he adds with a laugh. "But I probably only told one or two of my mates as well, so it stayed under the radar quite well.

"Sometimes that's the best way to be."

Although Wallace has been part of what has been a major change in the playing group at Ashton Gate over the course of the off-season, bigger alterations have arguably taken place away from the pitch in south Bristol in recent months.

Since the appointment of Charlie Boss as CEO in February, Gerhard Struber has been relieved of his duties and replaced on an interim basis by Roy Hodgson - who himself has been succeeded permanently by Michael Skubala - while James Ellis has been named the Reds' sporting director, a new role in the club's hierarchy.

While there is an expectation that such mass change could mean that patience is required with what is - from top to bottom - a new footballing structure, the alterations have been welcomed by the majority of fans. Such a view has been echoed by those in the changing room, new and old.

"It certainly feels really fresh," Wallace explains. "I think there has been a big shift in personnel at the club over the last three or four months.

"I think the club have done well, not just with myself, but by bringing seven players through the door quickly, which helps, especially on that pre-season trip when everyone is together.

"Obviously, it helped scoring four in front of a good crowd against Premier League opposition before the season starts," he adds, after the Reds' win over Newcastle United. "But we know that these last couple of games have been more about the new players settling in. The impact of people like Tolly [Lorent Tolaj] getting his goals and things like that is the most important thing.

"It's been a really positive pre-season, a great week for everyone, and I think 21,000 fans at a pre-season game shows how positive everyone is feeling. We're looking forward to the season starting now."

At 32 and with more than 350 appearances in the second tier to his name, Wallace is one of the older heads - and certainly the most experienced - in what remains a young City changing room.

The average age of the Robins' six other signings sits at 24, a figure pulled up a year or two by second-choice goalkeeper Brad Collins, who is 29. Of those six players, only Sam Greenwood and Collins have played in the Championship before, with the rest new to the division.

In the eyes of many fans, the signing of Wallace will have been made as much for his potential impact in the changing room as it has been for the effect on the Ashton Gate turf. With a place in the play-offs - or better yet, the Premier League - the target, however, the winger's focus is on what he can do with a ball at his feet.

"I still feel like I have a lot to offer," Wallace says. "I'm looking forward to having a big impact on the pitch, and of course, as you get older, you understand it is all about the team.

"The better the team do, the better everyone looks and the better mood everyone's in, which makes it a nicer environment to be in. Whatever my role is, every time I put the Bristol City shirt on, I'm sure the fans will see with their own eyes that I'm someone who will give absolutely everything to help the team win as many games as we can.

"The good thing in the Championship is that you're only ever one season away from changing everyone's lives and getting to the Premier League. There's no reason why we can't do it.

"I'm really looking forward to hopefully being able to make an impact in the squad and, more importantly for us, to try and get in those play-off spots."

Join Bristol City Live's Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol City stories sent straight to your phone

Bristol City Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.

Through the app, we’ll send the Bristol City news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.

To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live team.

We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.

To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.

If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Click here to join our WhatsApp community.