Bristol Rovers have signed defenders Lamare Bogarde and Calum Macdonald after leaving it late on transfer deadline day.
Bogarde, a 19-year-old Dutchman who can play as a centre-back and a defensive midfielder, joins on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa, while 25-year-old left-back Macdonald has signed from Stockport County on a permanent deal.
Their arrivals, which were announced in the final five minutes of the transfer window, take the total number of incomings for the month to five, adding vital depth for Joey Barton, who had been short on numbers in defence.
Bogarde, whose uncle Winston played for Chelsea, Ajax, Barcelona and AC Milan, is a Netherlands under-18 international and he came through the Feyenoord academy before moving to Villa Park in 2020.
He made his senior debut for Villa against Liverpool in the FA Cup in 2021 when the entire first team was ruled out due to COVID-19. He was also part of the Villa under-18s team that won the FA Youth Cup that year.
Macdonald, meanwhile, is closing in on 150 senior appearances across spells with Blackpool, Tranmere Rovers, Barrow and Stockport. He made 73 appearances for Tranmere across two League Two seasons before joining aspirational Stockport after their promotion from their National League.
He has made 10 league appearances for the Hatters this season and has joined the Gas on permanent terms until the end of the season.
The pair join Jarell Quansah, Ellery Balcombe and Grant Ward as January signings. Alfie Kilgour, Bobby Thomas, Harvey Saunders, Trevor Clarke and Zain Westbrooke have left the club this month.
