Bristol Rovers transfer priority clear as Everton man sends message to Joey Barton

Bristol Rovers must sign keep hold of their loanee if they are to have any kind of success next season.
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Bristol Rovers' season is approaching its final month, and once the full-time whistle blows on May 7 against Bolton Wanderers, plans will begin for next season.

Joey Barton has already admitted that he wished the 2022/23 campaign ended for the Gas against Portsmouth following a frustrating 2-0 defeat, but there's still nine more games to go. The Gas are not in action this weekend, and instead play on Good Friday (April 7) against Charlton Athletic.

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Without Jarell Quansah, who is missing through suspension, his absence could perhaps provide us with a look as to what the future could look like without the Liverpool defender. Gibson and James Connolly are the only recognised centre-backs available, and you'd expect them to partner one another against the Addicks.

Against Portsmouth, Gibson was given the captain's armband, which is quite the honour given how highly Barton views the accolade. If you didn't know his age, you'd be surprised to hear that Gibson is just 22-years-old, given the authoritative presence he has. He's one of the oldest defenders in the team, with Luca Hoole and Quansah 20, and he's a few months older than Lewis Gordon.

Barton's decision to give him the captaincy is perhaps one of the first steps into trying to keep the Everton man at the club beyond the summer. Back in September, Barton had spoken about how even when signing Gibson on loan, there was an idea of signing him permanently should the Toffees not extend his contract.

He said: "For us, even taking Lewis Gibson, it’s one eye on the future. He’s someone we have taken out on loan. We think ‘okay, if we can do a really good job with him’ and he doesn’t manage to make the grade at Everton. I think he’s a really good player.”

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Everton first and foremost will be focusing on Premier League survival, and should they secure their place in the top flight next season, you'd perhaps think they would consider letting Gibson leave. It would however be an expensive loss for them if he did leave on a free transfer, given they spent up to £6m to prize him away from Newcastle United.

At 22, he has still not made a competitive appearance for Everton, and there is a possibility that he could be considering his options this summer. He's mainly played in League One, playing for Barton at both Fleetwood Town and Rovers, but when he played at Reading and then Sheffield Wednesday, he struggled for game time and had to contend with injury problems.

"The problem with that is we are trying him out a bit with his injury record," added Barton back in September, and that is something to consider for both parties should they want to reunite. Gibson has two spells out of the side with injury, first from September to mid-October, and then from early January to late-February. In total, he's missed 13 out of the 37 league matches played so far.

Rovers have taken risks on players who have had injury problems, you just have to look at Jordan Rossiter, who has had his fair share of set backs, but when he does play you notice his role. Gibson is someone Rovers have to look at as their first signing of the summer, because building a defence around him will be important to any success that they have. Luckily, he's open to extending his stay at the Mem too.

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“The door is always open, you know what I mean,” said Gibson when asked if he'd consider signing a permanent deal a fortnight ago. “I’m always open to everything, I’ve loved it here and it’s probably been my favourite loan club wise and pitch time, it’s been the whole package.”

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