Paul Coutts is set to continue his stay at Bristol Rovers after triggering a contract extension, Joey Barton has revealed.
The club captain has been in excellent form throughout Rovers' remarkable upturn in fortunes in the second half of the season, with his experience, poise, leadership and game management skills proving invaluable with the stakes only getting higher in the League Two promotion race.
Additionally, the former Sheffield United midfielder is the guiding influence in a youthful dressing room, driving high standards and morale which are now making a material impact on the pitch for Barton's Gas.
After locking down the services of James Belshaw and Luca Hoole on extended contracts, while the future of Sam Nicholson and Antony Evans remains up in the air, attention naturally turned to Coutts' next steps. The Scotsman penned a one-year deal with the Gas last May and has made 34 league appearances in the heart of midfield, but appeared to be coming to the end of his deal in BS7.
Barton confirmed, however, that the 33-year-old already has terms on the table for next season and, provided Coutts chooses to continue to work with a manager he also served as skipper at Fleetwood Town, Barton will be delighted to have a player worth much more than his contributions on the pitch.
"He was on a one-year contract but he had a clause in there that if he played 23 games, he got another year," Barton said. "He hasn’t spoken to his missus about it yet, but he’s engaged for an extra year. His missus is back in Aberdeen so it might be you that breaks the news to her that he’s got another year.
"But he’s been outstanding and that’s not just what you see on the pitch. What he’s done as a captain, in the dressing room, he’s probably worth £15-16 million.
"He’s brilliant. Whelo (Glenn Whelan) as well, by the way. We’ve got a good dressing room. We’ve got a good set of lads. None of them are getting too carried away. We’re confident as you can imagine because we think we’re a really good side but we also know that it’s very tight in terms of the table.
"There’s loads of other sides out there as well who have had good seasons. But you don’t get remembered unless you win so we are intent on winning."
According to Opta, Coutts has a zero in the goals and assists columns this season – although it was his cross that created Connor Taylor's winner on Saturday against Bradford City – but he and Whelan, to a lesser extent as he is more often a substitute, play a vital role in the Rovers machine.
Barton's desire to press from the front with five attack-minded player and his full-backs only functions if the defensive spine of the team is secure and Coutts' positional intelligence is plain to see. His work in possession, while not as eye-catching as many of his teammates, is composed and effective in quickly redistributing the ball to Rovers' array of playmakers.
While there is uncertainty over areas of Rovers' squad with both starting centre-halves – Connor Taylor and James Connolly – Elliot Anderson and, potentially, Evans and Nicholson among those who could depart, the Gas do have several impactful players locked down for next season.
Sam Finley, Josh Grant, Aaron Collins, Nick Anderton, Harry Anderson, Alfie Kilgour, Harvey Saunders and Ryan Loft are among players under contract for 2022/23, giving the club a nucleus to build around regardless of what division they are playing in.
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