In his first summer in charge of Bristol Rovers, there were a lot of players Joey Barton wanted to leave as he cleaned the decks for a rebuild that culminated in an immediate return to League One.
Brandon Hanlan was a slightly different case and as time went on and the transfer deadline neared, the Gas manager became increasingly reluctant to see him leave. Barton seemed open-minded to a departure at one stage, but a look at the striker market left him with second thoughts.
In the end, Barton said he was "desperate" to keep the player, who scored nine goals in his one full season with Rovers in 2020/21, amid interest from Lincoln City and Wycombe Wanderers. In a press conference at Exeter City that became famous for the manager's declaration that Rovers would be promoted without any doubt, hidden in his quotes was a plea for Hanlan to stay.
