Bristol City reportedly have a contingency plan in place in case manager Lee Johnson is poached by a Premier League side.

Johnson is believed to have been considered by Watford to replace Javi Gracia, while he was also linked to the Brighton, West Bromwich Albion, and Fulham jobs by the Daily Star on Sunday ((05/05) via the Bristol Post) back in May.

According to the Bristol Post, the Robins boss is settled at the club and highly unlikely to move but the club do have a contingency plan in place for the possibility that he does.

City’s under-23s boss Luke Williams is understood to be on a rolling one-year deal, which includes a clause meaning he must give a year’s notice before leaving the club.

That clause means Williams, who was previously the manager of Swindon Town, looks set to lead the City’s development squad for some time and that the Robins have a coach with senior experience ready to step up.

The 38-year-old appears to have impressed with his work with the under-23s, as he has reportedly been offered two management jobs since he has held the role.

If Johnson were to leave and take current assistant manager Dean Holden with him, it is thought that Williams would replace him, either temporarily while a new manager was found or potentially long-term.

The report suggests that Jamie McAllister, currently assistant manager, would also be in contention to step up in Johnson’s absence if he did not leave with him.

The Verdict

This seems like a really smart move from the Robins.

Since returning to the Championship, City have grown into a side that are now competing at the top of the table.

It appears Johnson is very settled at the club and you would imagine he will want to be the man who gets the club promoted to the Premier League for the first time.

However, it should be a relief for fans of the club to know that plans are in place should the English coach leave the club.

The links to other clubs show that what he has done with City is not going unnoticed and it would be foolish to think that he will stay around forever if the Robins are not able to take the next step up.