Contract News Later This Week?

Radio Bristol's Alistair Durden has tweeted that there will be contract news at Rovers later in the week as another of last year's squad agrees a new deal. Ellis Harrison, Oliver Norburn, Fabian Broghammer, Mitch Harding and Jordan Goddard are the remaining players who have yet to officially sign the contracts offered to them by the club a few weeks ago.

Ellis Harrison - Lifted from: skysports.com

I'd hazard a guess that it will be either Harrison or Norburn. John Ward confirmed a fortnight ago that Norburn had verbally agreed his deal while Harrison has recently been tweeting messages that seem to indicate he's sorting things out to stay in Bristol. It wouldn't be the biggest news we get all summer but it'll be pleasing to get one or both of these two signed up. If it's any of the other 3 it'll be pretty underwhelming news.

Steve Mildenhall and John-Joe O'Toole are still negotiating with the club and it doesn't appear likely that either of them will be who Ali Durden is referring to in his tweets today. Pulling off their signings would be major steps forward for Ward in his pre-season preparations but we're having to compete with other clubs for their signatures. Unfortunately we all know what it is like supporting Rovers so don't get too disappointed if they don't end up joining - it's the way it always goes!

Elsewhere the Non-League Paper included a line in their weekend edition that reckoned we are interested in 25 year old Salisbury City goalkeeper Will Puddy. He's formerly of Cheltenham Town and has just earned promotion to the Blue Square Premier with Salisbury. His performances have seemingly also attracted the attention of Aldershot Town and Hereford United, both of the BSP. It would be a weird choice of back-up plan should Mildenhall not sign because he has next to no league experience and has only enjoyed one successful season in the non-league scene. The other feasible scenario is that Matt Macey, the young goalkeeper who was part of our cup-winning U18s team, has turned down his offer and the club are looking to recruit a third goalie with the view to sending Conor Gough on loan for first team experience elsewhere.

Who knows if anything will come of this interest but it's the first real rumour of the summer aside from our public interest in Mildenhall and O'Toole.