Joey Barton has revealed Antony Evans' agent was being "wined and dined" by Wael Al-Qadi at the Mem on Tuesday while Bristol Rovers' talisman conjured another moment of magic to defeat Barrow.
The Gas were struggling to break down the defences of the 10-man Bluebirds after Niall Canavan's first-half red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity, but Evans hammered down the door with a stunning strike from long range inside the final 10 minutes.
The former Everton and SC Paderborn playmaker has been a revelation at Rovers, registering nine goals and nine assists in 29 appearances in all competitions since signing as a free agent on deadline day in August. Not only are the raw numbers impressive, but the panache he has shown to boot has made him a star in BS7.
Naturally, with Evans' deal at the Mem up in June, Gasheads are desperate for news of a contract extension being agreed and Barton has been realistic for months that Rovers' best chance of keeping Evans for the coming years is by getting promoted. The 23-year-old's stellar form is one of several reasons why the Gas have a good chance of achieving that aim.
Barton, in his fourth year in management, was asked at full time if Evans was the best signing of his coaching career so far.
"Best signing I’ve had..." Barton pondered. "That’s a tough one because at all different junctions you need lads to come in and we’ve had some great lads, some great people that we brought into Fleetwood. I’ll get back to you on that in about five years.
"He’s certainly been great value for money on a free and if you knew the figures involved, it’s even bigger value for money because we’re massively underpaying him. Ridiculously underpaying him.
"If he wants to sign a new contract, we will definitely bring him into line, but that is going to play out. We spoke about that when he first came in. We said ‘Come and have a great year, get yourself back on track and we’ll take it from there’."
Barton rated Evans' winning goal on Tuesday as world-class, firing into the roof of the net to beat a defiant goalkeeper in Paul Farman from around 30 yards. It prompted another frenzied surge of social media messages calling on the club to secure his services on a new contract.
The manager made clear that he feels the same way after revealing the club's owner hosted the player's intermediary in BS7 on Tuesday.
"I know the Gasheads are desperate to get him re-engaged, as are we," he said. "I think his agent was here tonight getting wined and dined by Wael, so maybe he’s signed a new deal, I don’t know. Hopefully, he signed it before his goal went in.
"He’s been a superb signing, he really has, but not only that. His qualities as a player are self-evident but he’s been brilliant around the dressing room. He’s a great young man with a good head on his shoulders, really wants to progress his career and is keen to learn every day, trains properly every day, does everything right every day, lives his life right.
"If he does leave here, what a year we’ve had with Ant. Hopefully, we keep him for the next 10 years because that would mean we’re making progress and heading in the right direction, and I think if we get up I think we’ve got a really good chance of building a really good side with some of the talent we’ve got, but that will all play out.
"What a signing he’s been. Deadline day, came in late, but better late than never."
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