Matt Taylor warning to Bristol Rovers squad hints at busy summer: View | OneFootball

Matt Taylor has hinted at a busy upcoming summer transfer window for his side, with planning now starting to take place for what next season's Bristol Rovers squad may look like.

The 42-year-old took over the League One side in December, and stated his disappointment with the club's recruitment strategy for the January transfer window. He left it late, securing the permanent addition of Kamil Conteh, as well as the loan signings of Brandon Aguilera, Elkan Baggott and Harry Vaughan all in the closing days of the window.

Matt Taylor critical of Bristol Rovers

The Gas look all but secure for another season in the third tier, sitting in 14th place, 13 points off the play-offs and 14 points above the drop zone. The Rovers boss suggested that some of his players may already be thinking about their holidays with eight games left of the season.

Taylor's side found themselves three goals down after just 23 minutes at Sincil Bank recently, prompting a double change before the half-hour mark. However, their fortunes didn't change and two second-half goals condemned the Gas to one of their worst defeats in recent years.

No punches were pulled in the Rovers boss' post-match press conference, as he spoke to Bristol Live, saying: "I can see what they can see. Let's be honest, it's a constant battle to get them where they need to be in terms of being up for a game. That's a damning statement of where some of them are but some of their situations is out of my control. I've inherited it and it's always difficult when a manager comes in mid-season and there's a big expected turnover at the end of the season but has anyone done themselves any favours?"

Change will be in the offing at the end of the season, with eight first team player's contracts coming to an end.

Bristol Rovers expiring contracts

For the most part, it is experienced players who have their contracts up, with 35-year-old Chris Martin and 34-year-old Scott Sinclair both currently looking to depart. However, these are two players that the club need. Martin may be in the twilight stage of his career, but it's no question that the veteran knows where the goal is, with 15 goals in 28 games, and next season could look to make an impact off the bench, as well as helping to improve any young strikers that the Gas may look to bring in over the summer. With Sinclair, it is the same, and every club needs experienced players who have been there and done it in the higher leagues.

It's the opposite with 21-year-old Luca, who is not having a great current season. However, it is still very early in his professional career, and it would make sense to keep the Rovers academy graduate around. His best football was played in the first season of his career in League Two, aged just 18, and a contract extension and loan move to the fourth tier would make sense to help reignite his career and gain some confidence.

Bristol Rovers potential departures

However, it may be the end of the line for the likes of John Marquis and Jordan Rossiter. Marquis, in particular, has played 32 matches and only scored four goals. Especially if the Gas are looking towards the play-offs in the coming years, it doesn't seem that the striker is good enough and, at 31, he isn't getting younger.

It is an unfortunate one for Rossiter, with the midfielder having not played in almost a year-and-a-half, only aged 26, it is undeniable that he is a great player, and has shown that in glimpses at the club, but a new deal is a risk given his injury record.

With so many players out of contract, Taylor can really begin to work on his squad, with the 42-year-old suggesting in his post-match comments at Sincil Bank that if his standards are not met from now until the end of the season, players may even be not allowed to train with the group.

He said: "How many games have we got left? Eight games of football still. Our supporters have travelled a long way and spent a lot of money in relation to today.

"It's clear for me in terms of not only what I'll be asking but I'll take some of those questions out of the equation and if I don't think that some are fully in, and I mean 100 per cent in, then they won't train with us.

"I've never been a manager to banish players from the training ground. I've obviously inherited players not at the training ground which is such a strange situation but it gives me a bit of an understanding of what happened previously. If the players aren't fully in then there's no point them being around."