Two in, four out is the sum of Bristol Rovers business in the January transfer window with one week to go for Joey Barton to make further additions to a squad that has established firm foundations in League One.
The fringes of Barton's squad have been trimmed with Trevor Clarke (Shamrock Rovers, loan), Alfie Kilgour (Mansfield Town, permanent) and Zain Westbrooke (contract terminated by mutual consent) exiting the Mem, and the surprise departure of Bobby Thomas has left the Gas a little light on numbers.
But there is also a chance to upgrade and Barton hopes he has done that with a like-for-like replacement for Thomas – who decided to leave Rovers for a loan stint at Barnsley – in the shape of Liverpool prospect Jarell Quansah. The 19-year-old has joined the Gas on loan until the end of the season and comes with an excellent pedigree having played a prominent role in the Reds' and England's respective youth ranks.
Goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe has also been loaned in, joining from Brentford to the end of the season and the 23-year-old bolsters Barton's options between the posts. Balcombe, who spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Crawley Town, is more of a modern-style keeper akin to Gas number one James Belshaw and he is expected to offer tougher competition, with Anssi Jaakkola leaning further into his duties as player-goalkeeping coach.
They represent solid additions, but Barton wants more before the window shuts at 11pm next Tuesday. For all of Rovers' strength in attack, which has powered their ascent to ninth place in League One, there is scope to deepen the resources in several other positions to ensure the Gas are tooled up for a run at the top six in the final 19 games.
Here is a look at Rovers' depth chart with one week to go in the January transfer window...
A mere glance at the top end of the team is more than enough to know the Gas have enough goals in the team to be in with a shout of a play-off challenge, but the need for reinforcements in other areas is apparent.
Of course, this style of depth chart does not account for positional versatility, so the Gas are not as undermanned as it may seem, but there is work to be done in the final days of the transfer window. Here are some areas for focus...
Centre-back
The arrival of Quansah for the rest of the season brings welcome depth and pedigree to the backline, but in an ideal world, he will not be the only centre-back joining the Gas this month.
Of course, Luca Hoole and James Gibbons can be considered as options for the job, too, particularly if Barton deploys a back three.
Barton has spoken previously about his comfort working with young defenders, going against the curve in a position where the convention is to build around tried-and-tested players.
However, there has been a recognition within the club that they could do with a more experienced operator to help improve a defensive record of 45 goals conceded in 27 games.
Of course, that defender will have to fit a certain profile due to Barton's commitment to playing out from the back and a high defensive line. If an option in that mould comes available, Rovers are poised to strike.
Left-back
Rovers have played a back three for the majority of the season and Scott Sinclair's effectiveness at left wing-back provides welcome cover, but Lewis Gordon is the only out-and-out left-back in the squad after Clarke's loan return to his homeland.
Again, Gibbons has played this role before, particularly at Port Vale, but another specialist option on the left side of the defence would not go amiss.
Gordon has shown potential his 21 League One appearances this season, but he is on the raw side and Barton would welcome another option in his position.
Central midfield
Rovers have good quality, decent depth and a bit of variety in midfield, but an extra pair of legs would come in handy in the remaining 19 games.
Jordan Rossiter's expected return from a knee injury next month will be as good as a new signing after a couple of months out, but the Gas would be fortunate to escape further injuries in the run-in.
A defensive option to cover and compete with Coutts seems the likeliest addition Rovers would make. In turn, that would mean Barton needs to rely less on player-coach Glenn Whelan, something the manager has said needs to happen progressively over the course of the season.
Brighton's Marc Leonard and Hibernian's Jake Doyle-Hayes have been linked but there has been no suggestion the Gas will move for either at this stage.
Winger
Rovers' embarrassment of riches in attack has led Barton to deploy quite narrow attacking shapes such as a 3-4-1-2, getting his width from the wing-backs instead of traditional wingers.
There has been little to no consequence incurred from Sylvester Jasper's early return to parent club Fulham due to Sinclair's strong performances, but the Gas could do with finding a new signing to fill the impact-sub role Jasper vacated.
More often than not, Rovers find a way to create and score the goals they need, but another speedy and skilful weapon in wide areas would only sharpen their cutting edge. It would also give Barton new options tactically.
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