"We're hoping to get, in the next week to 10 days, some closure, one way or another," Joey Barton said on BBC Radio Bristol last Thursday when asked about Bristol Rovers' negotiations with star man Antony Evans. "But we remain optimistic that Evo wants to spearhead a successful season for us next season," he added.
The dust has barely settled on the heroics of the final day but a moment of significance for next season is already upon the Gas the 23-year-old's contract expiring next month.
Evans was a star – perhaps the star before Elliot Anderson showed up – of Rovers' epic League Two promotion triumph, reaching double figures for goals and assists. The thought of him not being part of the next chapter of the tale is a painful one for supporters and the manager alike.
But it is the nature of the beast that his scintillating form since arriving in BS7 has piqued the interest of other clubs; there were few more eye-catching players in the EFL this season.
Signed on deadline day in August after making just 16 appearances the previous season – 14 of them on loan in League One with Crewe Alexandra, where he did not score and registered a single assist – Evans would exceed all expectations in a blue and white shirt – excluding his own, claiming he had double figures in mind for goals and assists when he arrived.
It was soon obvious Barton had added a dynamic player to his ranks. In his debut against Crawley Town, Evans would produce several eye-catching moments before delivering a perfectly-weighted cross for Leon Clarke's winning goal moments after half time. His first goal would arrive a month later, turning defenders this way and that before firing the Gas ahead against Carlisle United.
Star status would soon be achieved, with his glittering contributions helping Rovers amass momentum around the midway point of the campaign. "He's better than Zidane," Gasheads started to sign and – relative to the level, of course – he would have a similarly talismanic effect on his team until Anderson – a unicorn player in League Two – arrived and started sharing that burden.
But on the final day, it was Evans who was pushing Rovers forward, scoring two inspired goals. The first, a majestic trivela with the outside of his foot, and the pinpoint free-kick that made it 5-0 and a brace for the scouser were resounding statements of the quality in that right boot. And if that wasn't enough, he speared a pass through the defence for Harry Anderson to set up Collins for 6-0 before whipping the cross onto Elliot Anderson's head for the fateful, promotion-winning seventh.
With the expiry of his contract looming, these are the days when a player's agent earns their money, maximising interest and potential pay packets. And it is entirely in the player's interest to do so; it is a short career in this game. Evans switched from Crown Football Talent to Wasserman – one of the biggest football agencies in the world – during the season.
Meanwhile, with their offer on the table and an incomparable sales pitch delivered on May 7, Rovers have to wait. Evans is a player worthy of patience in this situation; a talismanic presence in both character and quality; surely a match-winner League One like he was in League Two.
But Rovers cannot and will not wait forever. The state of the squad is better in every way than it was a year ago, but with 13 players released and other important pieces of the promotion-winning squad out of contract or at the end of their loan, a busy summer of recruitment is on the cards.
Evans is a brilliant player, one of the best to wear the blue and white quarters in recent times, but the Gas cannot afford to be caught short ahead of the challenge that is League One.
A week has passed since Barton's interview and he is right to be decisive and want closure. Clarity either way puts Rovers in a position to build for next season, and they should soon have answers.
Sign up for our newsletter for more exclusive Bristol Rovers content
