League Two’s most valuable XI - Three Bristol Rovers players included

Joey Barton has assembled a Bristol Rovers squad that is capable of mounting a promotion charge.

The Gas manager after relegation to League Two, was tasked with taking them back at the first time of asking.

So far, the team are still a bit off of the play-offs, but there is still some quality in the team and a good run of form could improve their fortunes.

The division is one that is glittered with quality with a mix of experienced former Premier League players and up-and-comers.

TransferMarkt has assembled a team in a 4-2-3-1 formation on who they deem to be the most valuable XI in the fourth tier of English football.

Spoiler: It features three Bristol Rovers players and some of the inclusions may surprise you.

GK: Danny Rogers (Oldham Athletic) - £315k

Despite Rogers’ high value, Jayson Leutwiler is Oldham’s number one and has so far kept five clean sheets.

Rovers goalkeeper James Belshaw is yet to be given a market value, whilst Anssi Jaakkola is worth £180k.

Liam Roberts, statistically the best goalkeeper in the division with nine clean sheets in 16 games only has a value of £45k.

LB: Charlie Daniels (Colchester United) - £1.44m

This is to be expected given how long he served AFC Bournemouth, playing in the Premier League for a number of years.

The 35-year-old played for Portsmouth last season after moving on from Shrewsbury Town but was at Bournemouth from 2011 to 2020. Despite the conception that once a player turns 30 he is no longer valuable, Daniels is an exception to that.

CB: Tommy Smith (Colchester United) - £585k

The younger of the centre-back partnership but a New Zealand international, Smith is worth just under £600,000 after his spells with Ipswich Town, Brentford and then Colorado Rapids. Smith is back for his second spell and last season played 45 times as he helped his side to survival in League Two.

CB: Luke Chambers (Colchester United) - £540k

Another player who made the route from Portman Road to Colchester, Luke Chambers is the lesser valued centre-back compared to Tommy Smith, but he’s still worth above £500k in value.

Chambers has made more than 16 appearances in the league this season.

RB: Donald Love (Salford City) - £720k

An academy product of Manchester United, Love’s career had some early promise but after just one appearance with the Red Devils, he moved to Sunderland, following in the footsteps of many others. Love himself went from 12 appearances in the Premier League to featuring in League One with the Black Cats after their back-to-back relegations. As the North-East club went in search of a new direction, he was allowed to leave for Shrewsbury Town, playing for two seasons.

For the first time in his career, he is now playing in the fourth tier and most recently came up against Rovers in the 1-1 draw.

CDM: Alan Judge (Colchester United) - £720k

The last of four Colchester players, the most from one club in this team, is the experienced Alan Judge. The Republic of Ireland international moved to nearby Colchester after leaving Ipswich Town, following three seasons at Portman Road. Judge came to Colchester with a vast amount of experience in the Championship, whilst this is his first venture into League Two.

CDM: James Perch (Mansfield Town) - £720k

He’s been in League Two for the last two seasons, first with Scunthorpe United and then with his current club Mansfield Town, but James Perch along with Alan Judge, makes up the central midfield. The 36-year-old has made just four outing sfor the Stags this season though.

Perch is most remembered for his time with Nottingham Forest and later with Newcastle United, before spells at Wigan Athletic and Queens Park Rangers.

LW: Sam Nicholson (Bristol Rovers) - £495k

A winger who currently is operating as a forward whilst Rovers wait for their strikers to return from injury, Sam Nicholson is the most valuable winger in the division at just £5k shy of £500k.

The 26-year-old this season has been more about goals than assists, scoring four goals in 13 outings for the Gas.

The Scotman’s value probably stems from his early promise at Hearts, where he made over 100 appearances over the span of four years. He later earned a move to the MLS to play for Minnesota United and then Colorado Rapids, before returning to the UK.

CAM: Jonny Williams (Swindon Town) - £720k

Jonny Williams is ranked as one of the most valuable players in the league and this shouldn’t prove as a shock. Williams last season was playing for Charlton Athletic in League One before a move to Cardiff City in the Championship.

Despite being called up to Wales’ EURO 2020 squad, he was released by the Bluebirds and his next steps saw him drop two levels below the second tier.

RW: Luke Thomas (Bristol Rovers) - £450k

He was on the receiving end of a heated post-match presser from Joey Barton, but Luke Thomas is worth just under half a million pounds according to Transfermarkt.

The former England Under 20 international is on loan from Barnsley and has so far this season got two assists in his 12 league appearances, but no goals to his name.

ST: Brett Pitman (Bristol Rovers) - £720k

Finishing off the attacking trio which includes Luke Thomas and Sam Nicholson is experienced striker Brett pitman.

Brett Pitman scores everywhere he goes in the Football League, reaching double figures at the numerous clubs he’s been at. Signed this summer after his departure from Swindon Town, his arrival may have raised a few eyebrows given his previous connections to the team across the City.

The 33-year-old has scored four goals in 11 appearances this season but has had a stop-start to life here due to injuries. He’s now back in the fold after recovering from injury, so there is a chance to live up to his price tag.

Interestingly, Dominc Telford, the league’s top scorer with 10 goals, is only rated at £90k by the website.