Nottingham Forest loanee can put a swift end to Bristol Rovers heartache: View | OneFootball

Bristol Rovers are having a decent season so far in their second year back in League One.

After a poor start to the campaign, Joey Barton was sacked at the end of October with Rovers sat in 16th place, which was far from the play-off positions that they were expected to be pushing for ahead of the season.

Rovers took their time in bringing in a replacement, with the club's hierarchy taking just over a month before they finally hired former Exeter City and Rotherham United manager Matt Taylor.

Despite picking up, Rovers are still way off the top six, and the departure of Aaron Collins during the January window to divisional rivals Bolton Wanderers has to be seen as a big loss for them.

Rovers however brought in a different creative spark who could be key for them for the rest of the season - that is Nottingham Forest youngster Brandon Aguilera.

Losing Collins is a big blow for Bristol Rovers

Collins was arguably one of the Gas’ best players this season up until his departure, scoring three goals and assisting eight in 27 games.

It was last season though where Collins really showed his quality in the third tier of English football.

Despite playing for a team that ended the campaign just eight points clear of the relegation zone, Collins went on to play in every single league game.

Not only that, he would also score 16 goals and get 11 assists, with his performances earning him the League One Player of the Season award.

Collins played at his best when playing off the left wing and cutting onto his stronger right foot, however he did also play centrally, where he would drop deep in between the opposition defence and midfield.

Collins’ impact had noticeably lessened under Taylor, played nine times under Rovers' new head coach and claiming just three assists.

So, for Rovers it may not be as big of a departure as it may have been in the summer.

It is still massive for the Gas however to lose a player that arguably should be playing Championship football, based on his performances last season.

Upon losing Collins on deadline day, Rovers were quick to find a replacement in Brandon Aguilera.

The 20-year-old has joined on a loan deal until the end of the season from Premier League side Nottingham Forest, who he made his league debut for just a couple of weeks ago.

This will be Aguilera’s first opportunity at regular first-team football in England, after joining Forest in the summer from 2022 from Alajuelense in his home country of Costa Rica.

He then spent the first half of last season out on loan back in Costa Rica with Guanacasteca, and the second half with Estoril in Portugal. However, he spent his time with the Portuguese top flight side with their under-23's instead.

Aguilera is highly rated by many though, and it was shown by his call-up to the Costa Rica national side for the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

He would make an appearance in every group game, starting once, as they were knocked out in the group stage.

If you are playing at the World Cup at such a young age as 19, there is something there - Rovers will be hoping they can see it on a regular basis, and if his debut is anything to go by, Aguilera will be a brilliant signing.

He scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory at Exeter City, striking the ball into the top left corner from twenty yards out.

His all round game was excellent, playing in a two-man midfield with fellow January signing Kamil Conteh, so although he could play in that left flank role that Collins has been occupying, Taylor opted this time to utilise the Central American as a more advanced midfielder.

He would go on to complete 29 passes with a 71% pass accuracy, along with completing five dribbles with a dribble success rate of 71%.

His all round play was excellent for the Gas, and if he plays like that on a consistent basis, he could be one of the signings of the window.