The theme of the transfer window – and perhaps the summer – so far for Bristol Rovers has been consolidation. A new contract for Antony Evans, the return of James Connolly on a permanent deal and a fresh terms for manager Joey Barton that tie him to the club until 2026 have all been agreed.
And the other signings completed so far – Jordan Rossiter and James Gibbons – have added to areas where Rovers are already strong (central midfield and right-back) rather than plugging vacancies in the starting XI.
But now, Barton's attention turns to adding to the squad as the squad heads out to Portugal for a week-long training camp this morning (Sunday).
"We intend to strengthen the group again," Barton said. "I think we’re five or six signings away from where we want to be, but there is a long way to go in the window.
"When we came here (Melksham) this time last year you saw how threadbare we were. We drew 1-1 and we were abject and we didn’t flow through the pre-season. We were a completely different team coming here this time. The strength and the spine of the team is still there.
"We’ve still got work to do in the market but we’ve got a good group and we’re not firefighting like we were last year, we’re building on the momentum of a successful season.
"We’ve got a tough week ahead of us out in Portugal next week and a really tough game at the end of it. Hopefully, we might have some movement and bring in a couple of bodies in the next week or two."
Former Ipswich Town, Tranmere Rovers and Forest Green Rovers striker James Norwood is among the options being considered by the Gas, while the manager would also welcome the returns of Luke Thomas and Connor Taylor. The chances of a comeback for Elliot Anderson, though, appear remote.
There may be a lot of work still to be done in the market, but Barton is satisfied with the deals done so far.
He told Bristol Live after Friday's 6-1 friendly win at Melksham: "Antony Evans, everyone knows about him, and anyone who followed us in the second half of last year knows how well Beefy (James Connolly) did, so be able to convert those two young, exciting players into permanent assets for the club is big.
"You’ve got to have assets developing in the team. Hooley has become our own academy product playing in the first team.
"We’ve only brought in a few players so far in terms of new players. James Gibbons coming in from Port Vale tonight, who I thought was excellent tonight and it was nice for him to get a goal. He gives us competition right across the backline.
"He can play both sides at full-back and I think he can play centre-half, although he’s on the short side, but he’s played on the right of a back three at Port Vale and I can really see how he does well in that position.
"Jordan Rossiter is a player I know really well. I had him up at Fleetwood and played with him up at Glasgow Rangers. I think he’s a real quality player and if we can get him as fit as I believe we can, I think he can be a fantastic player for us in the coming years."
Read next
