"Definitely" - Bristol Rovers offered simple Matt Butcher advice after Wycombe agreement | OneFootball

Our Fan Pundit has been impressed with the Bristol Rovers loanee’s performances so far

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It’s around this time that teams like Bristol Rovers may start lining up their summer business.

Six points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand on some, they’re not home and dry just yet, but it seems a strong possibility they’ll be in League One still next season.

They’ll want to be on a surer footing in the next campaign, but will once again be up against some financial heavyweights in the third tier.

With that in mind, we asked our Bristol Rovers Fan Pundit, Ziggy, to name a player out of contract this summer that the club should be looking at.

Bristol Rovers must retain Matt Butcher, says Fan Pundit

Speaking to Football League World, Ziggy said: “I think the one player that we should look into, who we've already got on loan, but I know is out of contract in the summer is Matt Butcher.

“We got him on loan from Wycombe in January, and he's come in, he's got I think two assists in three games and is just an absolute unit in that midfield.

“He's not been used by Wycombe that much because they're doing so well, he doesn't quite fit into their team, but I think because he's out of contract, we should definitely go for him because he's been an unbelievable for us, and he's CDM-type player so similar to Kamil Conteh. They do slightly different roles, but I think we'll be alright with Matt Butcher instead of Conteh.”

It's been a great audition for Butcher so far

The Gas signed Butcher on loan from Wycombe Wanderers at the end of January, and he’s clearly already made a strong impression with fans like Ziggy.

It was a shrewd move by Rovers, picking Butcher up on loan, knowing there may be a chance to sign him at the end of this season — providing a low-risk way to have an extended look at the midfielder before deciding whether to commit further.

If his first few games are anything to go by, it’ll be an easy decision.

Butcher was thrown in straight at the deep end, chucked into the Pirates’ midfield alongside Grant Ward for their League One game against Peterborough United and Butcher responded well, assisting James Wilson for the opener after just 16 minutes on the pitch, contributing to the 3-1 win.

Next up was a hard-fought draw against Stockport County, with Butcher the most accurate passer on the pitch, one of which created the last-minute equaliser to salvage a point from the game.

He had a quieter game against Burton Albion, but it was of little consequence as the Gas ran out 3-1 winners to extend his unbeaten run with his new team to three games.

Butcher had fallen out of favour at Wycombe, flying high at the top of the league, but the midfielder, still only 27, has just under 150 League One games to his name — a profile in terms of age and experience that scarcely pops up as a potentially cheap transfer.