Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Evans and Nicholson still in talks with Rovers
JOEY Barton is hoping for a resolution to contract talks with Antony Evans in the next “seven to ten days” – but admits the midfielder has a number of suitors across the English Football League.
Evans was not included on Rovers’ retained list, which was published on Thursday, with the exit of 13 players confirmed, including Glenn Whelan, Cian Harries, Brett Pitman and Leon Clarke.
Twenty-three-year-old Evans 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, would not take place until the end of the season when everyone knew which division they would 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 Paderborn, in Germany. The Everton academy graduate has scored ten 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.
“We intend to do as well as we can next year and to have a really good start in that market we would have to retain some of the talent that we’ve had this season. We’re in discussions with Antony and his agent and we’re hoping to get in the next week to ten days some closure, one way or the other. But we remain optimistic that Evo wants to spearhead a successful campaign for us next season.”
Evans has been bombarded with messages from supporters on his social media channels every time he posts, willing him to sign new terms after a stunning breakout campaign for the Quarters. Barton has said previously how underpaid the midfielder is given his contribution and importance to the team.
With Rovers rising a division, so should their budget be elevated and the manager insists that through Wael Al-Qadi’s investment and the rise in matchday revenues, they are in a position to offer their best talent competitive salaries for the third tier.
Wing man Sam Nicholson is in a similar position as Evans, with boss Barton accepting there is interest in the Scot, as was the case last summer when he dropped down from League One to League Two, but remained in north Bristol.
“We’re in discussions with him, but these lads are good players and have had other clubs enquire about them,” Barton added. “We’ll sit down with their agents in the next period and hopefully start to firm up who’s going to be on the journey with us next year and who will go on.
“Usually agents get in players ears and say, ‘Look, I’ve got this club on, or that club on’, especially when you’re out of contract because we’re in a very competitive marketplace.
“For us, it’s about players wanting to be here. We’ll have capabilities to pay players well for the level we’ll be at, because we have got a fantastic owner and because we have a big fanbase who have started to buy season tickets already and that allows us to be aggressive in the marketplace. But we don’t intend to just take part next season, we’re going to get after the division. We’ve got a good side, and if we can keep a lot of that together, that will help us with the continuity. If not, we’ve got good contacts in good areas and I’m sure we’ll build a good competitive football team for next season.”