For a club with a turbulent recent history, the Liam Scales saga is one of the weirder chapters in the world of Bristol Rovers.
You remember him, the young and talented Irish centre-back Graham Coughlan was eager to sign in the summer of 2019.
The deal for the defender appeared done, with his former boss at UCD, Colin O'Neill, going public that the player was headed to the Mem.
Then it dragged and dragged amid claims of paperwork problems until Coughlan pulled the plug after weeks of back and forth in the press on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Scales, now aged 22, instead joined Shamrock Rovers in January 2020, and won the League of Ireland title in his first season.
The Hoops are top of the table this season, which is played in summer, too, and Scales was involved in Champions League qualifying action against Slovan Bratislava this week.
His form has not gone unnoticed in Ireland, with former Preston North End, Rochdale and Exeter City forward Graham Cummins rating Scales as the top prospect in the Irish league, tipping him for a move to England.
"The improvement of Scales over the past 18 months since joining (Shamrock) Rovers is remarkable," he told the Irish Examiner.
"I questioned why Rovers were signing him when they already had Lee Grace, Sean Kavanagh and others that can play the left of the back three. I didn’t think Scales would feature much.
"When he played with UCD, who admittedly weren’t great at the time, defending wasn’t his strong point and he would always give me a chance.
"However, we are seeing a different player at Rovers and he has probably been the best defender in the league this year.
"He’s always been good on the ball. He’s a very brave player who will take the ball in dangerous areas of the pitch. His speed has improved, which is a crucial attribute to have in modern football, and he is more aware of potential danger.
"There are others who could easily make a switch to the UK, but for me, Scales is the hottest property in the league at this time."
Cummins believes the transfer saga with the Gas has not harmed his prospects of playing in England in the future.
"He was keen on a move to the UK back in 2019 but Bristol Rovers pulled out of the deal," he continued.
"If the opportunity arose again to go across the water, I’m sure Scales wouldn’t be put off by that experience.
"At the start of the summer, I spoke to staff at Rovers who admitted that it would be hard to keep hold of Scales. I’ve also had agents onto me wondering what type of person he is because clubs in England know how talented he is, but also want to know about his character.
"That might be because the move to Bristol fell through. Potential suitors might fear there was a personality issue that halted the transfer but all
"I’ve heard is glowing reports about a determined, talented young player."
