How Fulham winger has fared since acrimonious Bristol Rovers loan exit

Jasper was one of four loan players signed by Bristol Rovers in the summer transfer window
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Bristol Rovers had just claimed an impressive result against Plymouth Argyle when it was announced Sylvester Jasper’s loan would be terminated. The Gas came from two goals down to claim a draw against the League One leaders and earned the plaudits for their performance.

The biggest news to come from October 22 however was that Jasper - not included in the match-day squad - would be returning to his parent club early. The 21-year-old joined Rovers on a season-long loan but after just 51 days, headed back to West London.

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Barton Fulham winger refutes Joey Bartons’s claims as Bristol Rovers end season-long loan">claimed that Jasper was not happy with the lack of pitch time that he was getting and he did not want to stand in his way. The Cottagers winger in a deleted social media post however denied that and thanked ‘everyone for their support’ and wished them well for the future.

How did Jasper do at Bristol Rovers?

In his month-and-a-half as a player after joining on Deadline Day, Jasper made eight appearances in total for Rovers, starting two EFL Trophy matches, but was limited to just six substitute appearances in League One.

His best moment in a Rovers shirt will have been to set up Ryan Loft for a last-gasp equaliser against Exeter City in early October, making the most of his eight-minute cameo. He did provide an assist too for Loft again in the EFL Trophy, and that is as far as his goal contributions go.

In total, he played 261 minutes in the blue and white quarters. The arrival of Scott Sinclair more or less sped up Jasper’s return given the two play the same position.

Has he returned to Fulham?

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Jasper is now back at his parent club and has since played since returning to Craven Cottage. Six days after his loan ended, Jasper started against Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League 2, which is a league for top-flight academies.

Earlier this month, Jasper scored a brace against Nottingham Forest’s Under-21’s in the Premier League Cup.

He is only eligible to play for Fulham’s youth side until the January window opens on January 2.

What next?

When the January transfer window opens, Jasper will be available for another loan move. He is not in Fulham’s 25-man squad for the Premier League and is unlikely to feature for their first team.

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His loan spells have seen him play in the Scottish Premiership with Hibernian and with Colchester United in League One, so there could be several options available to him.

Can Bristol Rovers loan another player?

Jasper was one of four loan players, having joined at the same time as Josh Coburn from Middlesbrough and Burnley’s Bobby Thomas. Lewis Gibson joined from Everton earlier in the window.

Clubs in the English Football League are allowed eight loan players in and eight players out during the season. Four slots have been taken up so far and because Jasper’s returned, that will not change. It means that Rovers will have four loan slots available to them in January.

Only five loan players are allowed in a match-day squad and so, clubs and managers have to be careful not to completely have their squad filled by players who are only temporary.

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