Darrell Clarke has revealed that he would still like four more players to be signed by Bristol Rovers before the summer transfer window closes on September 1.
Rovers confirmed the exit of last campaign’s player of the year Connor Taylor to Wycombe Wanderers on Wednesday afternoon while academy graduate Kofi Shaw joined Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion last week and will be part of the Seagulls’ under-21s set up.
At the time of writing, the Gas have brought in nine new players with Swiss striker Fabrizio Cavegn their latest addition. Clarke, though, is still eyeing bringing in a handful more players over the coming weeks.
Although the Rovers head coach is keen to work with a smaller squad, outgoings have left gaps that need to be replaced alongside the addition of a few more bodies.
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“We need four new players, in my opinion,” Clarke said ahead of this weekend’s trip to Fleetwood Town. “Four new players before the window shuts. We’re working hard with the recruitment team and Ricky [Martin] to make sure that we get the right personality.
“But it can’t be rushed. It can’t scatter gun recruitment. It has to be a real focus about it.
“The Championship’s not even started yet as well. The Premier League hasn’t started as well. So what happens is there’s a bit of a knockdown from that. Some players that wouldn’t have been playing in League One, Championship and those teams will start becoming available.
“So we’ve got to be patient, but we want the best calibre of players we can at the right prices.”
Asked if he was confident all of his players want to be at Rovers, Clarke declared: “Listen, if they don’t they know where the door is. I’ve said this to every player and I’ve said this, not just now, but I’ve said it at most clubs I’ve been at. If they don’t want to be here they can go. If they’re worth a valuation for the football club, we’ll try and maximise that valuation.
“But as things stand at the minute, the players are working hard, they’re focused in the training, focused on the drills we’re trying to do. They’re getting a lot of information. They’re getting a lot of work. There’s building layers to that work and we’re at the bottom of the layers, if I’m honest with you. So they’re getting a lot of that information and they’re taking it on board hopefully and hopefully we’ll see that when the games come thick and fast.”
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