Five Bristol Rovers transfer priorities identified as Plymouth star to address key issue

Joey Barton hopes Bristol Rovers will have up to five new players when they begin pre-season in the next fortnight.

The transfer window officially opens at midnight on Wednesday, June 14, and a flurry of transfer activity is expected to follow. Some clubs have already begun working on deals, and some may have already been completed, but clubs are keeping them under wraps, to avoid any clubs coming in to snatch them from under their noses.

Last month, Barton hoped for up to five arrivals, as he aims to get his team together at the Royal Commandos base, where they will have a team building exercise. The 40-year-old wants to build a squad capable of challenging for a play-off spot in League One, but there is a 24-point gap to make up, and a lot of work to be done.

With the window now open, we assess what should be the priority for Rovers for the next two months.

A new centre-back (s)

Lewis Gibson and Jarell Quansah have returned to their parent clubs, and that leaves James Connolly as the only recognised centre -half at the club. Connolly’s first season in League One wasn’t amazing by any means, and he’ll want to improve on it, but firstly he needs a partner, and some competition.

Last season, Barton had various systems and tried playing with three centre-backs, as well as a flat back four. Lewis Gordon did play as a left-sided centre-back in a three, whilst Luca Hoole also played on the opposite side, and Barton sees his future as a centre-back.

In the meantime however, defensive reinforcements are needed, and it’ll be interesting to see where Barton goes with this. He’s favoured signing centre-backs which are on the younger side; Gibson (22), Quansah (20), Bobby Thomas (22), and Connor Taylor (21). You can see his thinking in that younger players are open to learning, whilst experienced players may already be set in their ways, but defence was a problem position last season.

They shipped 73 goals last year, with only relegated pair trio Accrington Stanley, Forest Green Rovers, and Morecambe, as well as Burton Albion conceding more. Is it time to go a bit older when signing centre-backs? He tried it with Mark Hughes and it didn’t work out, whilst he moved on Alfie Kilgour. It has been suggested by BristolLive that James Wilson is set to join, and will undergo a medical after agreeing personal terms.

Centre-back is definitely the key area to recruit in, and it’d be good to see a mix of them come in. For the past two seasons, we’ve seen fans fall in love with Gibson and Taylor, and so another young player is surely out there.

Another striker

Rovers need another big man who can offer something different. Josh Coburn’s loan from Middlesbrough can be regarded as a success, despite his goals drying up by January. John Marquis was a good signing, and it’s good to have an experienced forward like him in the squad. Marquis offers that experience, and so there needs to be a player similar to Coburn. Ryan Loft is waiting in the wings, but a big summer is needed from him if he is to be a success at the Memorial Stadium.

Some wingers?

The departure of Harry Anderson, means that there is one less winger at the club. Scott Sinclair and Aaron Collins can play there, but if Barton wants to change things up then signing a winger would be good.

Sylvester Jasper joined in September, but quickly returned in October, and from then no one similar to him was brought in. There’s two kind of wingers that are needed, ones that can play wing-back, and also others that can play further forward, where they are more or less playing as attackers.

A maverick

A few members of the Rovers squad can fill this role, but if they’re needed elsewhere or not up to the task, then a signing may be needed. Rovers need someone who is going to win games on their own and get fans off their feet. Collins did that last season, and played in various roles, but his form did dry up a bit, though that did come during a poor patch of form for the team all round.

Antony Evans and Luke McCormick are two other players that could step up to the plate. In the summer of 2022, Rovers fans were begging for Evo to resign, and that he did. He had a respectable campaign last year, but is capable of more. Summer signing McCormick had a disappointing campaign however, but he was affected by a lack of pre-season at AFC Wimbledon, but now with a pre-season under Joey Barton to come, he can make Rovers’ efforts to sign him again worthwhile.

What the point is trying to get at is perhaps someone of a similar ilk to Elliot Anderson. Anderson in League Two was a cheat code, and you only have to look at someone like Finn Azaz, who was influential in getting Plymouth Argyle promoted.

Goalkeeper competition

James Belshaw is the most popular man at the club, or at least a stronger contender for that acclaim. He’s one of the nicest players you’ll meet, and so it came as a surprise when he was said to have reacted badly to being dropped for Ellery Balcome.

Belshaw had a few games in which he made errors in, but he didn’t look out of place in the division, but he could do with some competition. It has been suggested Jed Ward could be the player to do that, and academy representation would go a long way with the fans. The 20-year-old however could do with a loan in the National League, having been at Hungerford Town in the National League South last season.

There’s a few ways Rovers can go, and that could be to recruit someone who’s been a third choice goalkeeper at some higher league clubs perhaps, or maybe a youngster who’s been released, and needs a chance. Rovers could always go back to the loan market, but you’d hope that they’d leave those five spots for outfield players, who can offer some versatility.