Despite playing just 19 games in League One last season and missing the entirety of 2025 with a bone infection, Kamil Conteh is still leading the shortlist of a few top League One clubs this summer.
Losing Conteh for a large proportion of the season was one of the reasons that Bristol Rovers suffered relegation to League Two on the back of one point in their final 10 games, as the 22-year-old prospect was one of the more efficient midfield operators in the league when playing.
The Mirror reports that the Gas are bracing interest in the Sierra Leone international, with play-off semi-finalists Wycombe Wanderers joining recently relegated Championship side Cardiff City and even current second-tier outfit Derby County in registering their interest in Conteh.
And, with Cardiff especially needing to retool and freshen up their squad ahead of their first season in League One since the 2002/03 campaign, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie feels that Conteh would be a good way to kickstart their incomings this summer.
Lee Hendrie believes that youth is the way to go for Cardiff City this summer
Speaking exclusively to Football League World, current Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie believes that Cardiff City should aim to bring in young talents to help drive the club forward and back to the Championship as soon as possible.
At just 22 years of age, he believes Kamil Conteh fits that bill.
“I think that’s the sort of route they will be looking at, bringing in young players with lots of potential and maybe just trying to rebuild the football club a little bit,” he said.
“Conteh is a young midfielder who has certainly had a good season at Bristol Rovers. I think he’d be a really good addition, and I think he could make that step up.
“The position he plays is a holding midfielder, where he can get a grip on games, and I’m sure he could learn from the players already at the football club.”
Moving from a side battling at the bottom of the table to one expected to bounce straight back can be a struggle for some, but Hendrie has full faith that Conteh can live up to the task.
He concluded: “It is a step up for him, yes, but I’m sure he’ll certainly thrive there.”
Current injury record shouldn’t shy away from Kamil Conteh quality
Kamil Conteh was playing National League football three seasons ago, and now is in line for a move to a side challenging atop League One, or if it’s Derby County who secure his services, a side looking to establish themselves in the Championship.
The 22-year-old’s growth has been rather rapid, but he’s definitely deserving of the current transfer talk.
And the fact that this calibre of clubs want to bring the Sierra Leone international in despite him not playing a game since Boxing Day last year shows how much potential he clearly has.
Kamil Conteh’s 2024/25 League One stats, per Fotmob
Appearances (starts)
19 (18)
Pass accuracy (%)
80.7%
Dribble success (%)
70%
Duels won (%)
55.5%
Aerial duels won (%)
66.7%
Interceptions
28
Last season, before his injury, he was among the top 25% of League One defensive midfielders in his duel percentage won and interceptions, and ranked in the top 5% in aerial duel percentage too, winning two-thirds of his duels in the air. All of this whilst playing for a side battling relegation, too.
Conteh’s injury record may be a worry, and there’s no saying that he won’t miss any more time, but he said in a club interview in May that he sees light at the end of the tunnel, so it seems he’ll be back on the pitch sooner rather than later.
But will he still be wearing the Bristol Rovers shirt? Only time will tell.
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