"To be honest." - Bristol Rovers fan pundit issues Aaron Collins transfer claim | OneFootball

Aaron Collins has been a player massively linked with a move to the second-tier and beyond after a stellar campaign last time out for Bristol Rovers - but according to FLW's Bristol Rovers fan pundit, it's 'no surprise' he didn't get a big move.

Collins shot to prominence in the West Country when his 16-goal haul in League Two fired the Gas to promotion - culminating in a double on the final day of the season, where they beat Scunthorpe 7-0 to qualify for automatic entry to the third-tier on goals scored in a barmy final day at the Memorial Stadium.

It hasn't stopped there for the Wales international; he equalled his tally from the season before, but in a higher division - 16 goals fired Joey Barton's side to comfortable survival, and Collins was heralded as one of the players of the campaign.

He went one better - being gifted the League One Player of the Season award, it put the Welshman's name in high regard, naturally with Championship clubs in the hunt.

But, with interest in his services, Collins has suffered poor form in the league since the January window - and that, according to FLW's fan pundit, has put bigger clubs off chasing his signature - with the likes of Stoke being credited before deciding against a move.

Where was Aaron Collins linked with a move to in the window?

According to Bristol World back in July, Stoke were the club mainly interested in Collins’ signature. It was described by the outlet as ‘initial interest’, and no bid was lodged - but there was no departure imminent for the Wales international.

It was thought that Rovers would stand firm on their valuation of Collins, and a sale would have been reinvested back into the playing squad, However, the report suggest that Collins didn’t seem to be angling heavily for a move away, instead being willing to bid his time at the Memorial Stadium thanks to an ambitious transfer window giving the club reinforcements in key areas.

What has been said about Aaron Collins?

With Collins' poor form in mind, Football League World's Bristol Rovers fan pundit Steve Hutson was not surprised by Collins' failure to leave the club - though he backed him to get to his best over the course of the season.

He said: “To be honest, I’m not surprised at all that Aaron Collins didn’t leave Bristol Rovers in the summer transfer window.

“His form has just dropped off massively since January, and it is probably too much for any interested club to take a risk on the sort of fee that Rovers would be asking for, especially with so long left on his contract.

“I do think he is a quality player. Once he gets that first goal, and once the Rovers front line starts to gel - or even if competition does come in to reinforce that striker position - then I think we will see Collins return to that form that won him the Player of the Season award last year.”