A busy end to the transfer window awaits Bristol Rovers with Joey Barton eager to do multiple deals before Thursday's deadline.
The manager has been upfront about his intention to complete several signings in the "dying embers" of the window and he is "hopeful" of making more additions before he Gas are next in action – Tuesday's EFL Trophy group stage tie at Plymouth Argyle.
Barton has made seven additions so far this summer, with Luke McCormick's return on a permanent deal in midweek the most recent arrival, and the manager will add to that tally this week.
Centre-back is likely to be an area of focus after James Connolly was ruled out for several weeks with a stress fracture in his back. The wings are also a priority position for Barton with Rovers yet to replace Elliot Anderson, Sam Nicholson and Luke Thomas after their departures earlier in the summer.
EFL clubs are allowed five loan signings in their squads and the Gas have used just one spot so far in the shape of Everton defender Lewis Gibson. The manager intends to fill his quota of loanees by the 11pm deadline on Thursday.
"I think Tuesday night, everyone will be getting the EFL Trophy out of the way and I think at that point, it will start to shake down," Barton said.
"We’ve had the second round of the League Cup last week and that will shake the market out and we’ve still got four loan spaces and I’m hoping to utilise all of them.
"We’ve done good business in securing our assets from last year and the players we have brought in have really complemented the group. If we can keep adding quality to it, that’s going to be the key.
"We might spin the wheel on a couple of loans out of clubs, but that probably won’t shake out until Wednesday and Thursday and the dying embers of the window.
"We’ve got a couple of things we’re trying to move on in the meantime and hopefully by Tuesday night, we get a bit of wiggle room on that.
"I’m really hopeful that we will do some business between now and Thursday and I think our season, certainly the first half of the season, will be massively aligned with what type of quality we get in and we must take some creative players and we must take some wingers because we’ve lost three and we haven’t replaced them."
Despite his desire to do several deals in the remainder of the window, Barton believes he has enough quality in his ranks to compete in League One, regardless of the business that is completed in the coming days.
"Whatever we get after Thursday, we’ll have and we will make the best of it and we’ll go hard," he added.
"We’ve certainly got enough of a solid foundation of lads to compete when everyone’s fit, but if we can add one or two more or a little bit of quality to that then I think we’d be stupid not to do so. I think it would really move the group on.
"The window for me now is getting it closed and knowing what we’ve got in the building and knowing what we’ve got to work with.
"We’re all on the same page and we’re all in it together. We know what we’ve got to do so there is no point in me bleating on in the press about it, I’ve been vocal about what I need.
"Our job is to make the best of the tools at our disposal when the window closes on Thursday night."
SIGN UP: To receive our free Rovers newsletter, bringing you the latest from the Mem
READ NEXT:
