Bristol Rovers: Surprise exit surely driven by unfortunate factor Matt Taylor was bullish on - View | OneFootball

Josh Grant is one of very few surprises for Gasheads in a retained list that, as expected, revealed many of the current Bristol Rovers squad would be leaving the club this summer.

Several players had contracts expiring at the end of the season and as many as six would return to their parent clubs after completing loan spells with the Gas.

Grant was unfortunate during his spell at the Gas, having suffered a tough time with injuries. He did, however, still manage to appear more than one hundred times for Bristol Rovers across leagues One and Two.

He scored five times for Rovers, and it may not be a coincidence that all his goals came in seasons where he had managed over 20 appearances.

Injuries hampered Grant

It may only be down to the fact that Grant has suffered from multiple injuries that he’s been overlooked by Matt Taylor as he looks to build a “robust” and successful squad for what looks set to be an even more competitive League One next season. The 25-year-old may, however, feel especially disheartened after fighting his way back to fitness and making 29 appearances for the Gas in this season's campaign - also grabbing a goal.

Injuries have continued to be a thorn in the side of Rovers, having had horrendous luck and at times having several key players out for sustained periods.

Taylor may have had Grant in mind when he told the media after the final game of the season against Wigan Athletic, that anyone the Gas signed "has almost got to have a track record of being available and being more robust".

A UEFA Youth League Winner with Chelsea U19s in 2015/16, Grant showed great promise, rising through the Chelsea Academy. Also winning the English Youth League with the Blues at U18s level.

Grant must enjoy that West Country air - finding himself on loan spells with Yeovil Town and Plymouth Argyle while at Chelsea u23’s – playing 38 times for the pair – before eventually signing for Rovers on a free transfer in July 2020.

If Grant can remain healthy, then he is sure to still have a positive career, with many sides likely to be attracted to his pedigree.

Promising youngsters among few surprises

As mentioned previously, there were few surprises from the Retained List. The Gas had been briefing that there was likely to be a high turnover of players in the summer.

As expected, Rovers confirmed the departure of club captain Sam Finley and also revealed that contract offers had been made to winger Scott Sinclair, full-back Luca Hoole and another player with a challenging history of injuries in Jordan Rossiter.

The release of Lewis Gordon came as somewhat of a surprise as the youngster had been a regular feature for the Gas in the second half of this season.

The release of academy graduates Harvey Greenslade and Ryan Jones may have come as a surprise to some Gasheads with both having shown signs of promise as they’ve risen through the Rovers youth system – it may only be sentiment, however, as both were unable to maintain their place in the senior squad.

So the Gas go into the close season with their new recruitment team having a mighty task on their hands. They will need bodies for almost every position and will want to make sure they can enter pre-season without being caught understocked.

Equally, they will need to make sure they do their due diligence and offer supporters something to get excited about heading into the new season.

It'll be a campaign without Grant, who appears to be a casualty of Taylor's new bullish approach to make his squad more robust.