Joey Barton hopes to convince Grant Ward that Bristol Rovers is the best place for the midfielder as the Gas open up negotiations with their out-of-contract players.
Ward has impressed in the blue and white quarters since signing a short-term contract in January after being released by Blackpool, cementing a regular place in the heart of midfield and he scored his first goal on Easter Monday, the winner at Fleetwood Town.
With just seven games left in the season, the 28-year-old's future is uncertain, but Barton knows what he wants; Ward has been impactful on and off the pitch – making 12 appearances and starting the past six games – and the manager hopes to keep him in BS7.
"We’ll start speaking to those boys now as we are approaching securing League One status so it is natural we will start having conversations with our lads, Wardy being one of them," Barton said ahead of Saturday's fixture against Derby County at the Mem.
"He has been superb since he came in, he has grown from game to game and now he has added spectacular goalscoring moments, which we were hoping was the next piece of the jigsaw. Long may that continue.
"He is the right cultural fit for us, the way he works and approaches training and the gym. He’s settled into the group and he has been a huge plus in our season.
"We will definitely be sitting down and trying to convince him that Bristol Rovers is his future."
Other players out of contract this summer include club captain Paul Coutts and Harry Anderson and Barton confirmed on Thursday that with Rovers past the 50-point marker in League One, negotiations and future planning will intensify.
But the players belonging to the club are not the only focus; Lewis Gibson – who also scored his first Gas goal on Monday – has been outstanding in the centre of defence for much of the season, with the team's win rate significantly higher with him in the team (50 per cent vs 13 per cent).
The 22-year-old, on loan from Everton, is out of contract at Goodison Park at the end of this season and Barton would love to see him play for the Gas beyond the end of this season, but he is realistic about his chances. He also insists he has not yet discussed it with Everton manager Sean Dyche, a good friend from their days together at Burnley.
Barton said: "Obviously, that will depend on what Everton will do. I haven’t spoken to Dychey about it; we speak almost on a daily basis but Lewis is not one we have spoken about.
"It will depend on what his contract is at Everton and what Everton want to do and what division Everton are in. If Everton drop into the Championship, they might want to keep hold of him. I don’t know. I don’t know what the future looks like. I think it’s less likely if they stay in the Premier League, but who knows?
"I know Dychey, as a centre-half, will be watching Lewis and will be aware of his qualities.
"We’d love him to stay at the football club, I think he knows exactly how we feel about him. From our perspective, if somebody comes from higher up with a bigger budget and the opportunity to play in the Championship, it’s going to be tricky.
"But I think he’s just enjoying his football at the minute, he’s enjoying being fit, he’s enjoying being in a good defence that is getting results and limiting the opponent to few opportunities.
"He’s played a lot of football for me as a manager and hopefully he wants to come and do that more. We would be delighted if that is the case, but the ball is not in our court."
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