Joey Barton is open to exploring the free agent market to find a new winger for Bristol Rovers after he fell just short of his recruitment target for the summer.
Bristol Rovers secured 10 incoming transfers over the summer, adding six permanent players and four loans, three of the latter arriving on last Thursday's deadline day - Bobby Thomas, Sylvester Jasper and Josh Coburn - to reinforce the squad.
Barton admits he would have liked to bring in a left-sided centre-back and another wide player, alongside Jasper, following the departure of Sam Nicholson and loan returns of Elliot Anderson and Luke Thomas, but the search proved unsuccessful.
Clubs can still sign free agents before January 1, 2023 - when the winter window opens - and although it’s not definite, Barton and his recruitment team will be assessing what options are available to them higher up the pitch.
Barton has the versatile Harry Anderson, Aaron Collins has been used as a wide forward and Jasper made his debut in the 2-2 draw with Morecambe on Saturday, playing 19 minutes as a second-half substitute.
“You’re always looking to add quality,” Barton said. “We’ve had to spin the wheel on a couple of loans and I think you’ve seen with Sylvester Jasper, he’s a gamble in terms of he’s a young player who’s had a couple of loans, but we felt he had an energy and an enthusiasm in terms of what we’ve seen that he can give something different.
“He only had a little cameo but certainly he can give us something we’ve probably lacked since Sammy Nic, Elliot and Luke Thomas left the building; somebody who has the ability to carry you up the pitch and, again, I do think we have a good squad and a good group, it’s mine and the coaching staff’s job now to bed them in and get the operating standards going forward.
“They’re going to have to learn our system, the way our team plays and I’m delighted the window’s closed now. Could we have done a bit more? Yeah, possibly, you know I was vocal about replacing certain players who have left the building but I’ve had fantastic support from the owner.
“We tried to do all the business we could. There’s nobody really who went off the board in the last 48 hours that we didn’t know about. There is still the free market so we’ve got space to do something if we decide to do that.
“But, again, could we have got more - yeah, for sure. I definitely would have wanted a bit more but also I think we’ve got more than enough to get the job done and the job for us is staying in the division.
“If I’d have gotten another winger and a left-sided centre-half I’d have been delighted with the window. As it was we didn’t quite manage to do that. We might be able to get stuff in the free transfer market but we’ll see how that plays out.”
His desire for a winger may continue but Bobby Thomas’ first outing in a Gas shirt following his arrival from Burnley has shown Barton that the need for a centre-back may not be as great as he felt it was, as the window shut at 11pm on Thursday night.
Rovers have experienced something of a central defensive crisis over the summer as they were unable to re-sign Connor Taylor on loan from Stoke City as he broke into the first-team, James Connolly sustained a stress fracture of his back that will keep him out until the end of September and new signing James Gibbons, who's a full-back by trade but can play in a back three, is recovering from a foot injury with an estimated return date around mid-November.
It seems trivial to discuss it in such terms but, ultimately, Nick Anderton's cancer diagnosis has meant Barton is without a further defensive option for the season.
Everton loanee Lewis Gibson was absent against Morecambe but should be fit to face MK Dons this Saturday, presumably to partner Thomas, and with Kilgour and right-back Luca Hoole the other options, Barton appears confident there is just enough cover to weather the storm until Connolly returns.
“I don’t think I’ll do another defender, to be honest with you,” Barton added. “From what I’ve seen of Bobby Thomas and we’ve got Gibbo to come back - he’ll be fit for next week. James Connolly will be slightly a little bit longer and James Gibbons as well, and that then maybe allows Hooley to slide into that position.”
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