Whelan and Harries among the 13 players released by Rovers
BRISTOL Rovers have confirmed the release of 13 players following the publication of their retained list, including promotion hero Glenn Whelan and defender Cian Harries.
Whelan starred at the base of midfield in Rovers’ final day 7-0 victory over Scunthorpe United and manager Joey Barton had indicated he wanted the former Stoke City and Aston Villa midfielder to stay on in north Bristol, potentially also in a coaching role.
Captain Paul Coutts also paid tribute to the impact of the Republic of Ireland international, who is studying for his UEFA Pro License, for his leadership and guidance over the last nine months. But the 38-year-old, whose family are based in Cheshire, is on the list to be leaving BS7 alongside Harries , pictured, who had been a regular starter at the beginning of the campaign but fell down the pecking order following the January arrival of James Connolly from Cardiff and Barton’s switch to a back four.
Of the other names to have played firstteam minutes in 2021-22, veterans Brett Pitman, Leon Clarke and Junior Brown will also be released at the expiry of their contracts next month.
The departures also include academy graduate Cam Hargreaves, who was a first-team presence under Barton’s predecessor Ben Garner, and midfielder Ben Liddle who was also signed during that time.
Barton, meanwhile, is hoping for a resolution to contract talks with Antony Evans in the next “seven to 10 days” but admits the midfielder has a number of suitors across the EFL.
The 23-year-old is out of contract next month and talks over a new deal effectively began at the start of the year but Barton and Evans indicated a resolution, either way, wouldn’t take place until the end of the season when the Gas knew which division they’d be playing in.
Evans has been a pivotal player in Barton’s team since arriving on a free transfer last summer following his release from German side Paderborn. The Everton academy graduate has scored 10 goals and added 12 assists in 35 League Two appearances.
“We’re speaking with Antony at the minute. Obviously, as you can imagine, from his perspective, he’s taking stock and seeing where he’s at,” Barton told BBC Radio Bristol. “He’ll have plenty of suitors but we think we’ve shown him the platform and he can be a major player for us in League One next season.
As is the norm, the retained list also confirms the loan returns of Elliot Anderson (Newcastle United), Luke Thomas (Barnsley), James Connolly (Cardiff), Connor Taylor (Stoke) and Sion Spence (Crystal Palace) to their parent clubs. That means, of the 26 players who finished the campaign at the club, putting Evans, Sam Nicholson, Alex Rodman and Anssi Jaakkola to one side, it leaves Rovers with 13 first-teamers, plus Zain Westbrooke should he return after spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Stevenage.