Bristol Rovers finished the transfer window with a flurry. Late loan deals bolstered Joey Barton's squad in defence and attack.
Barton had intended to fill the five available loan slots and he ended with four after the arrival of Sylvester Jasper, Josh Coburn and Bobby Thomas from Fulham, Middlesbrough and Burnley respectively.
There was no late drama for the Gas with Thomas the final of 10 summer signings at 5.15pm on Thursday. The manager also confirmed in his press conference at The Quarters that Trevor Clarke has returned to training with the group after being told to pursue a move away early last month.
The manager may have wanted a couple more recruits in an ideal world, but in recent weeks he has also expressed his excitement for the end of the transfer window so he can have clarity on his resources until trading resumes in January. It certainly has been an eventful few months...
McCormick's desire to return and Al-Qadi's pivotal role
Luke McCormick was a priority addition for Barton and negotiations dragged on for weeks, with AFC Wimbledon proving to be a tough negotiating partner, holding out for a fee in excess of £200,000. Eventually, the Gas made a breakthrough and the signing was announced on August 24. It is understood Rovers have paid an upfront fee less than that figure, with add-ons tied to the Gas retaining their League One status this season.
McCormick himself was desperate to return to Rovers and be reunited with Barton. He was entitled to a cut of the transfer fee, but he chose to waive that option to increase the amount paid to his now former club.
Rovers owner Wael Al-Qadi was also pivotal in getting the deal over the line, too. Chelsea were set to profit from a sell-on clause from the transfer that took McCormick to Plough Lane last summer. Al-Qadi's contacts at Stamford Bridge proved valuable to the Gas once again, with Chelsea also waiving their cut of the fee – a relatively insignificant sum for the West London club – to help Rovers strike a deal.
A near miss
With key contributors to last season's success returning to their parent clubs at the end of their loans, much of this window focused on retaining talent as well as making new additions. The performances of Connor Taylor and Elliot Anderson at Stoke City and Newcastle United respectively meant Rovers ultimately had no chance of tempting them back.
A return for Luke Thomas was much more realistic, and it is understood a deal was on the verge of going through. In the days before Barnsley's fixture against Cheltenham Town, the Tykes were ready to sanction a permanent move for the 23-year-old winger, who was eager to return to BS7 after getting his career back on track under Barton's tutelage.
But Barnsley boss Michael Duff vetoed his exit, believing Thomas could play a role in his squad, and lo and behold he would score the winner days later against the Robins and the move was off.
"Everyone can see around the building how happy I am, how engaged I am and how I'm talking, and I haven't been like that before at Barnsley," Thomas told Barnsley's media team on Thursday. "Hopefully, long may it continue."
The Norwood saga
In late June, it seemed striker James Norwood would be the man leading the line for the Gas. The 31-year-old made for an obvious candidate to move to the Mem, given his friendship with Barton and first-team coach Andy Mangan, plus his pedigree as a solid striker at League One level.
After negotiations between Rovers and the former Ipswich Town forward, the sense from sources in Suffolk was the deal was done and Norwood would wear the blue and white quarters.
However, the Gas would have second thoughts and pulled out of the prospective signing. Norwood's fitness record was the concern and John Marquis was signed instead, a player of a similar age and profile when it comes to leading a press from the front, but with a significantly higher number of appearances per season.
Norwood would join Barnsley soon after and he has appeared in all of their six league games so far this season, coming on as a substitute four times and he is yet to open his account. Marquis, meanwhile, has one goal and two assists in six starts.
Where does it all leave Rovers?
There is cause to be optimistic about the business that has been done, but the window closed with a feeling of wanting more.
James Connolly's return was crucial, as was securing a new contract for Antony Evans. Jordan Rossiter adds tenacity and James Gibbons was impressive in pre-season and at the start of the campaign before being ruled out with a stress fracture in his foot. He could miss two more months of action.
Marquis is a proven number nine who has impressed fans with his work rate and more chances ought to come his way as the team develops more chemistry in the coming weeks. McCormick is a headline addition and if he can reproduce and perhaps build on his goal and assist tallies from Wimbledon last season then Rovers will be pleased.
Lewis Gibson has caught the manager's eye with his ability on the ball, describing him as a "Rolls Royce" after his first start at Portsmouth. Lewis Gordon was on the verge of joining Crystal Palace's under-23s before the Gas came in and the coaches see potential that they can coax out of the 21-year-old left-back.
The trio of deadline day arrivals are somewhat unknown quantities for different reasons. Coburn has played and scored several times in the Championship, but he is yet to arrive at Rovers due to a knee injury and he will remain with his parent club for a few weeks as he completes his rehab.
Jasper and Thomas, meanwhile, do have senior experience from loans in League Two and the Scottish Premiership, but they are both untested in the third tier, not that that has bothered Barton in the past and his success rate in the loan market is impressive. He will hope he repeated the trick not once, not twice but thrice on deadline day.
But he made clear he wanted to make more additions than the three he secured on Thursday. Perhaps Rovers have felt the reality of being Bristol Rovers in League One.
In League Two, the club is a massive attraction. Going up a division, that allure is lessened due to the calibre of clubs they are competing with for players. Barton has mentioned more than once that the Gas have been "gazumped" by other clubs in negotiations, and with the likes of Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth in the division, losing out for players is inevitable, no matter how strong a sales pitch the manager can muster.
Even clubs a tier below the calibre of the Rams or the Owls have significant spending power. Barton revealed Oxford United blew the Gas out of the water in their attempts to take Kyle Joseph on loan from Swansea City, and it is understood the Gas were among the many clubs that wanted Aston Villa prospect Finn Azaz, who ended up on loan at Plymouth Argyle. Crystal Palace defender Jake O'Brien decided a move to Belgium was best for his development.
There is debate whether this squad is weaker than the one that finished the League Two campaign in May. But maybe only the incredibly unlikely return of Anderson from Newcastle could have prevented that. If a Premier League club was to try to sign the Gas hero from the Magpies, how much would he realistically cost? £20million-plus does not seem unrealistic. Some player to have in League Two...
Ultimately, there are questions about some of the recruits and they can only be answered in time. Another winger and more depth at centre-back to cover for James Connolly's injury would have been ideal, but otherwise, the Gas have retained much of the core from last season and added character, quality and experience to deal with the step up in level.
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