Bristol Rovers have had an ordinary start to their League One season, currently sitting 15th.
Many fans may expect their team to be pleading for new players to come through the doors in order to give them a fighting chance of making the playoffs.
When we asked our Bristol Rovers fan commentator, Josh, about his biggest fear for the January window, he mentioned spending money on players who may not make a significant impact.
Bristol Rovers warned to tread carefully in the January window
Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing, and this Bristol Rovers fan believes that was the case with the Pirates this summer.
In an interview with Football League World, Josh expressed his concern regarding the January transfer window: “My biggest fear is, and it’s difficult, because I sound like I’m being completely and utterly spoiled, but I fear that we’re going to do more of the same.”
“Our owners are very much into signing a player who has done well previously, perhaps even in the previous season, spending a lot of money on that player, and hoping they do it again at Rovers.
“But they do that, and we did it a lot throughout the summer, and a handful of those individuals just do not play. We’ve brought in a whole new squad, and we need to recruit properly. What worries me is if they simply throw money at the wrong players.
The Gas brought in a lot of players during the offseason.
In the summer, Rovers signed 11 new permanent players and added five on loan.
Promise Omochere and Isaac Hutchinson, who commanded fees, have made an effect on the first team. However, the productivity of other players has been inconsistent, as expected when bringing in more new players than a starting XI can handle.
| Bristol Rovers 2024 summer window, as per Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Age at transfer | Transfer type | Club left |
| Promise Omochere | 23 | Permanent | Fleetwood Town |
| Isaac Hutchinson | 24 | Permanent | Walsall |
| Jamie Lindsay | 28 | Permanent | Rotherham United |
| Ruel Sotiriou | 23 | Permanent | Leyton Orient |
| Clinton Mola | 23 | Permanent | Reading |
| Joel Senior | 25 | Permanent | Morecambe |
| Bryant Bilongo | 22 | Permanent | Middlesbrough |
| Micah Anthony | 20 | Permanent | Queens Park Rangers |
| Shaqai Forde | 20 | Permanent | Watford |
| Dan Ellison | 19 | Permanent | Chippenham |
| Lino Sousa | 19 | Loan | Aston Villa |
| Josh Griffiths | 22 | Loan | West Bromwich Albion |
| Jake Garrett | 21 | Loan | Blackburn Rovers |
| Gatlin O’Donkor | 19 | Loan | Oxford United |
| Michael Forbes | 27 | Permanent | Valenciennes |
It clearly appears that there was a mentality of bringing in as many players as possible and hoping that a few stick, so Josh is not unrealistic in hoping that Rovers’ transfer strategy will be more targeted in January.
If the club can make a few key improvements, or reduce squad pressure by letting go of a handful of marginal players, they’ll still be in contention for a play-off spot.
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