Bristol Rovers summer deal looks more likely after Oxford United developments | OneFootball

With his goal against Barnsley, Gaitlin O'Donkor finally announced himself at the Memorial. Will he become a permanent member of Calderon's squad?

With his crucial opener in a crucial 3-1 win against Barnsley, Bristol Rovers loanee Gatlin O'Donkor finally announced himself at the Memorial Stadium over four months after joining.

Berkshire-born O'Donkor joined the Gas in late August from newly promoted Oxford United, after being deemed surplus to requirements for the U's long-awaited return to the second-tier.

This has proved largely true, particularly recently, with the unfancied Oxfordshire side picking up eleven points from their last five games, all but exonerating them of relegation candidacy.

With GoD's newfound adoration on Gloucester Road, combined with his parent club's likely renewal of Championship status, is it only a matter of time before the 20-year-old forward becomes a permanent member of Iñigo Calderón's squad?

Gasheads want O'Donkor to stay

With a towering, headed opener and a tackle that led to their second, the timing of O'Donkor's greatest performance in the blue-and-white-quarters to date could not have come much better.

The Pirates have been without record signing Promise Omochere since New Year's Day, after the Irish forward sustained a hamstring injury during a home tie versus Leyton Orient.

The absence of Omochere, who himself had just begun to find his best form of the campaign, highlighted the dearth of striking talent in the squad, with an aging Chris Martin as second in command, and O'Donkor behind him.

The young forward, while certainly more mobile than Martin, had yet to make a true case for being more than a lively alternative coming off of the bench, rather than a reliable option in front of goal.

However, he got his chance against Barnsley, starting in the centre-forward position for the first time under Calderón, and just the second time since September.

The goal, just his second of the season, was taken tremendously, and was indicative of what the Pirates had been missing in recent weeks; an agile, yet physically imposing target to aim for in the six-yard-box.

Combining this with his role in both winning the ball, and releasing it for the all-important second, it was an extremely noteworthy performance from a man who had previously been struggling to get more than 30 minutes of action.

After being undoubtedly one of the stars of perhaps the Gas' best result of the season, there was, unsurprisingly, talk of the loan signing becoming permanent, with one online poll voting resoundingly in favour.

While such veneration after one good performance sets the entire fanbase up for potential retrospective embarrassment if the performance turns out to be a one-off. However, for the time being, Saturday's confident performance truly felt like the addition of a desperately needed new signing up top. It would be incredibly surprising if Calderón didn't continue starting the 20-year-old, at least until he is given a reason not to.

O'Donkor, for now, has the graces of the fanbase, and with Omochere forecasted to be out until April at the earliest, may have just secured himself another dozen starts as Rovers' number nine, providing another forward isn't brought in this window.

The striker remains the Yellows' youngest ever appearance maker, having played for the club in the EFL Trophy just one month after his 16th birthday. Though, despite bright sparks, the last four years have seen the now-20-year-old fail to establish himself as an invaluable asset at the Kassam Stadium.

As is the case with most academy products, O'Donkor has been willed by supporters to become a mainstay in the first-team, but never quite managed to solidify minutes in his teenage years.

While having made 67 appearances, 'Gats' has only started 14 times for his parent club, for an average of 27 minutes per cap. The majority of his impact with the club came during the 2022-23 season, as he appeared 29 times in a difficult season for the U's, finishing 19th in League One.

After this campaign, O'Donkor signed a long-term contract extension with Oxford in August 2023, aged 18.

However, his progression was halted with the introduction of new manager Des Buckingham in November, who was seemingly uninterested in O'Donkor, failing to ever play the academy product for longer than 20 minutes in a given match.

His expendability to the side was exemplified in February last year, as the club, in the midst of a play-off push, decided to send O'Donkor on loan to Barnet for the remainder of the season.

Oxford, of course, ended up being promoted to the Championship, and despite an impressive spell in North London, with GoD not entrusted with helping the side compete at the upper end of League One, it seemed unlikely he would be required for Championship survival.

While O'Donkor finds his stride in the third-tier, Oxford continue to exceed expectations, currently finding themselves in 14th place in the Championship table, having been tipped by many to barely be able to compete.

Unbeaten in seven in the league, and nine points from the drop, it is looking increasingly probable that the U's will survive.

If this does transpire, it would be incredibly surprising if O'Donkor didn't move on, as while possessing impressive attributes in flashes, he is still a way off of being a Championship level striker, and it seems evident that the powers that be at Oxford are aware of this, regardless of Buckingham's departure.

While the length of his Oxford contract remains publicly unknown, further than it being 'long-term', it can be assumed that the deal is long yet due to expire, meaning only a cash offer may suffice, though if fortunes continue, this may be a necessary evil for the Gas.

The next two months will be crucial for Gatlin O'Donkor, as one perfectly timed performance could have potentially turned around a meandering career. If the forward continues to prove a worthy competitor at League One level, he could well be a shoo-in for Calderón's first signing of the summer.