Bristol Rovers are in the market for a new goalkeeper in this transfer window with Brentford’s Ellery Balcombe under consideration and a decision on his immediate future expected in the next 48 hours.
Football League World have reported that Premier League Brentford are considering recalling Balcombe from his promising loan at League Two Crawley Town and sending him elsewhere in the EFL, most likely at League One level with Rovers an interested club should they wish to pursue their interest.
Bristol Live understands that Balcombe is on Rovers’ radar, as are other goalkeepers, and while in with a strong chance of signing him, the Bees’ decision will ultimately be shaped by the amount of football the 23-year-old is likely to play over the next five months, rather than the higher level he’ll be operating at.
A former England youth international at Under-18, 19 and 20 level, Balcombe has been with Brentford for more than a decade and has experienced previous loans at Doncaster Rovers, Viborg in Denmark, Burton Albion and Boreham Wood and Bromley in the National League.
He has made 12 appearances for Crawley, in all competitions, this season. For Brentford to justify redirecting him they will need assurances on his first-team involvement.
Rovers’ position is therefore an interesting one because they already have an established No1 in James Belshaw, who has started 69 of a possible 73 league games since his arrival in the summer of 2021, but whose position has looked slightly uncertain over the last month.
In the wake of the 4-3 defeat to Exeter City in December, Joey Barton admitting his, like everyone else’s, place in the team is under threat as the manager tries to address a troubling defensive record with only two teams in League One conceding more goals this season.
Bobby Thomas’ loan from Burnley has been terminated, admittedly at the player’s request, but Barton has conceded they were looking to replace the 21-year-old, who had started 19 games this term, and an alteration in goal could continue that reconstruction of his backline.
But a signing in that department would still be a surprising move given Belshaw has been a constant for 18 months and is woven into the fabric of the club. The 32-year-old, the Gas’ reigning Player of the Year, also signed a new contract in March last year until 2024.
However, it would provide clear evidence of Barton’s desire to constantly look for improvement as he stated after the loss to Exeter : “You’re always looking to improve. Belly has been fantastic but we’re in the business of getting better.
"You’ve heard me talk lots of times about kaizen - somebody just reaches a ceiling of what they’re capable of, they’re not capable of going any further. You’ve got to look for people who have got a lot more potential, a lot more scope, a lot more capacity.
"And I’m doing that all across the team, all the time - can we upgrade? Can we improve? And, if I don’t do that, I’ll lose my job because if you stand still in this game, you’ll regress. You get worse and eventually the hangman’s noose comes for the manager.”
Barton said last week he would like up to six new signings over the next two weeks, with priorities in central defence as Luca Hoole and James Connolly are now his only recognised senior players in that position.
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