Bristol Rovers' blockbuster January transfer window predicted - including Tottenham and Brighton deals
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We're just a couple of weeks away from the end of the January transfer window, and Bristol Rovers will be looking to add more firepower to their squad before the February 3rd deadline.
So far this month, the Gas have been able to recruit one new player, making a move to sign ex-West Brom and Brentford ace Romaine Sawyers on a free transfer.
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Hide AdRumours involving the Pirates have been few and far between of late, with a move for Cardiff City forward Michael Reindorf yet to materialise, amid rival interest from League Two promotion hopefuls Newport County.
Away from the transfer action, or lack thereof, Inigo Calderon's side have been in fine form - securing back-to-back victories against Cambridge United and Ipswich Town in a fiercely competitive League One campaign.
While we await news of any further Rovers targets, we turned to our old friend Football Manager, and asked the management simulator to predict every player the club would sign this month.
Which players have Bristol Rovers been predicted to sign in January?
Having loaded up our save, we set the clocks back to the stroke of midnight on January 1st, giving the Rovers recruitment team the whole month to do their wheeling and dealing.
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Hide AdWith little in the way of a budget to bring in new signings, free transfers were going to be the way forward for the Pirates, and they landed an impressive coup midway through the month, persuading Spurs to let midfielder Jamie Bowden tear up his contract and make a move to the Memorial Stadium.
Bowden, a former Republic of Ireland U19 international, was swiftly joined by veteran goalkeeper Chris Maxwell, who left Huddersfield Town to seal his move to the Gas. An EFL veteran who's been promoted three times during his career, the 34-year-old's acquisition was a lovely bit of business.
There are few better names in football than Admiral Muskwe, conjuring images of a weather-beaten sea captain astride his vessel, navigating the choppy seas in the hope of finding pastures greener. Or a move to the Memorial Stadium, as the case may be. After failing to convince Finnish side IFK Mariehamn to sign him, the ex-Luton Town forward landed a contract with the Gas instead.
Who did Bristol Rovers sign on Deadline Day?
Right, let's get the bad news out of the way first - Rovers kicked off deadline day by selling Luke Thomas to Charlton Athletic, much to the dismay of the Gas' fan base. However, he did bring in a rather tasty £500k, which went straight into the transfer budget.
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Hide AdTime was very much not in their favour, and the pressure was on for the Pirates to get some deals done. They first laid down £150k to sign Carlisle United striker and captain Charlie Wyke. While the ex-Sunderland forward's star has faded in recent years, a forward who once scored 25 goals in one Championship season has to be worth a punt, surely.
Wyke in, another £100k was splashed by the recruitment team, as versatile defender Dominic Ball was snapped up from Leighton Orient. His arrival was swiftly followed by that of Chelsea's young centre-back Brodi Hughes, who joined on a loan deal from the Premier League giants.
While Calderon was delighted with the host of new recruits on board, he was eager to get one more deal over the line. The clock was ticking ever-closer to the 11pm deadline, and the coffee pot was down to its final bitter drops. Then came the breakthrough.
Mere minutes were left to get their man in, but a final minute push saw a last-gasp deal struck to bring Benicio Baker-Boaitey in on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion. In the real world, he's just gone back to the Seagulls after a loan spell with League Two side Port Vale.
So there we have it - Bristol Rovers’ 2025 January transfer window has been predicted. Over to you, recruitment team.
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