Bristol Rovers should capitalise on Lincoln City situation to sign Antony Evans replacement: View | OneFootball

No sooner had the EFL League One season finished for Bristol Rovers did rumours start to emerge of interest in arguably their best player and with only a year remaining on his contract, the ownership will have a huge decision to make concerning the future of 25-year-old midfielder Antony Evans.

Evans has been one of Rovers' most influential players over the course of his career with the Gas and he would be in the discussion for one of the club's greatest-ever midfielders. He has so far managed 26 goals and 26 assists in 142 appearances for the Pirates since signing in 2021.

This past season, his partnership with striker Chris Martin is seen to have been critical to Rovers achieving a mid-table finish and Evans was a pivotal piece of the League Two promotion-winning team in 2022.

Evans has continued to delight Gasheads with his match-defining performances, and his set-pieces have been one of the team's greatest assets.

Yet to accept a new offer from the club, however, and now into the final year of his contract, the Bristol Rovers leadership will have a decision to make on whether they can risk letting his contract expire, or whether to cash out now, knowing they would receive a reasonable fee for one of League One’s most valuable players.

Ethan Erhahon could be a replacement for Evans

Evans is subject to interest from a number of parties, including newly promoted Portsmouth, so the Gas will have to be on the lookout for potential options to replace him

Should he be sold once the transfer window opens on June 14th, one player who may be on Rovers' radar is Lincoln City midfielder Ethan Erhahon.

Lincoln signed Erhahon from St Mirren in Scotland on deadline day back in January 2023, and he quickly showed his quality.

The Imps only just missed out on a play-off spot this campaign, losing to Portsmouth on the final day, with the midfielder being widely praised as key to their ultimately failed promotion push.

Lincoln recognise they might lose Erhahon

Imps manager Michael Skubala recently expressed his admiration for his star midfielder, telling the BBC: “For me, he’s the best number six in League One by miles.”

In that interview, Skubala also accepted that he will have a struggle on his hands to keep his star player once the summer window is open. Skubala said: “We’ll probably struggle to hold onto him, if I’m honest. But what a player he is – And he’s growing all the time.”

The 22-year-old Scottish midfielder, who was recently voted Player’s Player of the Season and Fan’s Player of the Season at the Imps, would be a marquee signing for the Gas.

Lincoln’s ownership will want to ensure they negotiate the best fee for the highly valued former Scotland under 21 international, with director of football Jez George predicting they'll get a club-record fee for him.

It would be an ambitious move – raiding one of their League One rivals for a player that may well attract Championship attention – but Erhahon could be the centre-piece to the midfield rebuild that may come this summer should Evans move on.

If the Gas want to challenge next season, they'll likely have to be bold in backing Taylor this summer and making a move for the Imps star would certainly be that.