Joey Barton believes Bristol Rovers need to make in the region of 12 summer signings in order to mount a challenge in League One this season, with eyes on a number of players already in the dressing room.
There is set to be the typically high turnover of players for a club at this level in the summer with the expiry of five loans – Ellery Balcombe, Jarell Quansah, Lewis Gibson, Lamare Bogarde and Josh Coburn – as well as the likely exits of out-of-contract players, meaning areas of Barton's squad are likely to be much-changed on the opening day in August.
The likes of Aaron Collins, Antony Evans, James Belshaw, James Connolly, Sam Finley and Luca Hoole are all tied down to multi-year contracts and they are set to form the core of Barton's resources, but the manager is aware that he needs to make upgrades across the squad – particularly in defence with Rovers shipping 68 goals in 43 games – if they are to emulate Plymouth Argyle after Tuesday's 2-0 defeat at Home Park and mount a challenge for a place near the top of the division in 2023/24.
