Barton fears it will be ‘really tough’ to land forward amid links to Pompey ace Harrison
JOEY BARTON has confessed it will be ‘really tough’ to add to his Bristol Rovers striker ranks amid reported interest in Pompey forward Ellis Harrison.
The future of the Blues front man – who wasn’t part of Danny Cowley’s matchday squad for Saturday’s trip to Wigan – has been the subject of much speculation this summer, with Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday and Fleetwood all linked with moves for the 27-year-old.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, it was reported that both Bristol Rovers and Cheltenham had joined the list of potential Harrison suitors as the clock ticks down to transfer deadline day.
No doubt, Pompey head coach Cowley would welcome such interest as he remains keen to offload players in a bid to facilitate his own business in the last few hours of the window.
He reluctantly allowed Callum Johnson to leave Fratton Park for Fleetwood last week as other members of his squad failed to generate sufficient interest.
Yet, according to Rovers boss Barton, such frustrations could continue as he admitted any move to strengthen his forward options will not be straightforward.
He’s keen to find a replacement for former Blues target Brandon Hanlan, who completed a move to Wycombe last week for an undisclosed fee.
Harrison, who scored 49 goals in 204 appearances for the Gas earlier in his career, would tick many boxes for Barton.
A physical but athletic centre-forward to hassle defenders is exactly what the former Fleetwood manager wants as he plots a return to League One.
But Barton confessed finding a solution amid the Harrison links won’t be easy.
He told Bristol Live: ‘It’s going to be really, really tough. The marketplace is scarce at the minute.
‘We’re already short of strikers and Bran going has left us a bit short in that department, so there is work to do.’
Rovers already have former Blues skipper Brett Pitman in their ranks, but he’s still to get off the mark for his new club this season.
The 33-year-old has featured in Rovers’ most recent three games, the first two of them as a substitute, after recovering from injury.
Meanwhile, Harrison has made just one appearance for Pompey this term – as an 89th-minute substitute in the 1-0 win against Shrewsbury on August 17.