Rovers interested in signing Palace midfielder Spence on loan
HAVING added plenty of steel with the arrivals of Paul Coutts and Sam Finley, Joey Barton is keen to provide Bristol Rovers with greater goalscoring punch from midfield.
The Bristol Post understands talented Crystal Palace Under-23s midfielder Sion Spence is one of the options being explored by the Gas with the 20-year-old available on loan.
The Wales Under-21 international scored seven goals with four assists in 15 PL2 games but is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Eagles, having signed from Cardiff City in September 2020.
Rovers are likely to face competition for Spence, and there would be a financial cost to the loan unlike some of the friendlier deals the Gas have secured from Premier League sides in recent years.
But the numbers should be palatable and Rovers are keen to make progress in talks with Palace to see if an agreement can be struck.
There was considerable frustration among Bluebirds fans when Spence was released after a 201819 campaign in which he scored 11 goals in 15 games for the Under-23s side.
Spence is understood to want first-team football and a move to Rovers would allow him to be closer to his native Penarth in South Wales and earn regular minutes.
Barton has Zain Westbrooke, Sam Nicholson, Zain Walker and Josh Barrett as his central attacking midfielders but the end of Luke McCormick’s loan from Chelsea has left a hole in the squad for that type of talent.
Spence broke into the Cardiff Under-23 team when he was just 16 and was named academy player of the year in 2017-18 before his departure to south London.
In an interview with Welsh Football Fans, Spence once said of his strengths as a player: “I just try to score, create, help the team win games. I’ve always liked scoring goals, to be fair. I’ve always done quite well in that respect.”
Having signed Coutts, Finley, Nick Anderton, Mark Hughes and Connor Taylor, Barton is now focused on growing his attacking options at the Gas. The additions of Aaron Collins and Harvey Saunders have bolstered the ranks up top, but Spence could bring a valuable scoring threat from midfield.