Aston Villa starlet opens up on Bristol Rovers transfer after Norwich and West Brom links

Lamare Bogarde had several potential destinations - but it was Bristol Rovers who landed his loan signature.
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Aston Villa prospect Lamare Bogarde has revealed working with Joey Barton was the reason he chose Bristol Rovers over other clubs when making his move in January.

The 19-year-old joined from the Premier League side on Deadline Day, but it has emerged that the Gas weren’t the only club chasing his signature. Before the transfer window was open, the Dutch midfielder was linked with a move to Championship sides Norwich City and West Brom but it was ultimately a move to the Memorial Stadium that took place.

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Bogarde was one of two deadline day signings with Calum Macdonald joining from Stockport County, and he was announced in the latter stages of the window. Fans and local journalists alike had waited all day for movement and they were rewarded with the arrival of Bogarde.

He said: “I was just thinking, I’m out on my first loan, what it’s going to be like. I want to show everyone what I can do on a bigger stage. Under-21’s football is nice, but this is real football. This happened in the last hours of deadline day. I was really pleased to be going to Bristol Rovers.

“I wanted to get out, there were a few other clubs. I chose Bristol Rovers, I spoke to the manager before and just wanted to go. I spoke to the manager before, he said what his philosophy was and the way they want to play and what they want for the season.”

Bogarde may be a familar name to those who watched football during the 1990s to the mid 2000s, with Lamare’s uncle being Winston. Winston played for Ajax, Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea in his career. The 52-year-old won two La Liga titles with Barcelona, and also won the UEFA Champions League.

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His uncle was a full-back by trade, and Lamare has played in defence before at centre-back, which has helped put him in good stead for the various midfield roles he has had. Bogarde was seen as a potential replacement for Jordan Rossiter, given his long-term injury and so far he has coped well in midfield in his first real taste of senior level football.

“I’ve got contact with my uncle,” he said. He obviously played for Ajax, and a few big clubs like Barcelona. He spoke to me before, do your thing, it’s good.This journey is going really well, I want to follow in his footsteps.

“I’ve played at centre-back and that has helped me a lot. “Now I’m playing in midfield, I’ve always been decent on the ball. When I play in the centre midfield role, sometimes you have to put a little tackle in. Yeah, it’s an option as well. It’s two positions where I can play and let’s go from here.

“I just want to get on the ball and in the six role, I get on the ball more. I think the six role is my position. I can play in different roles, but I play where the manager wants me to play.”

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