AFC Wimbledon star should be top of Bristol Rovers' three-man transfer shortlist | OneFootball

James Tilley features as FLW has identified three players that Bristol Rovers should be targeting in January.

In what has been a turbulent first half of the 2024-25 season for Bristol Rovers, the turn of the year represents a chance for owner Hussain Alsaeed to refresh his squad.

George Friend, the Gas' director of football, has a prime opportunity to make additions to a squad quite clearly a few steps away from being the finished article.

Their current inhabitance towards the bottom end of the League One table suggests they need additions that can impact the first-team immediately.

Scouting primarily from the leagues beneath, FLW takes a look at a trio that could realistically be tempted to the Mem this winter, in pursuit of stabilizing a rickety season in England's third-tier.

3 Kyron Gordon - Rochdale AFC

Rochdale have been superb defensively in this season's National League thus far, and Kyron Gordon has a great deal to do with that.

The central defender from Sheffield is only 22 years of age, however, possesses on-field maturity beyond his years, regularly wearing the captains armband for the Greater Manchester outfit.

The Dale are conceding less than a goal per game as they attempt to reenter the EFL at the second time of asking, with Gordon commanding a central-defensive-trio from the right-hand side.

While it is difficult to speculate what formation Rovers' next manager will deploy, a back three is used routinely this season, making Gordon a perfect asset to bolster an otherwise leaky defense.

His captaincy duties reinforce the tremendous working relationship he has with Rochdale, stating in August: "There's no place I'd rather be". Despite this, his performances have began to turn many heads, and the prospect of playing two-leagues higher may just tempt the Yorkshireman away.

A transfer that is exceedingly possible to come to fruition, given both the locality of the two clubs, and the discordant atmosphere at Swindon Town this year.

While the Wiltshire club is in seeming disarray of late, Gavin Kilkenny has been a revelation for the relegation candidates, who may just have been in a much worse situation without him.

The 24-year-old is a busy, tough-tackling midfielder who can retrieve possession more efficiently than most. Between the start of the campaign and Christmas, Kilkenny recorded the second most tackles won in League Two, behind only Gillingham's Max Clark.

Stability and control in midfield is crucial for Bristol Rovers, who routinely fall short of possession stats, and struggle to build attacks regularly. Kilkenny may understandably be wanting away from a club in such turmoil on and off the pitch.

26-year-old James Tilley has been exceptional for AFC Wimbledon this campaign, with proficiency in a wide-left position that could cetainly be utilised on Gloucester Road.

While his pre-Christmas total of two goals and four assists is respectable, it goes no way to explaining exactly how active Tilley has been in attack this campaign.

According to WhoScored, the former Brighton man is averaging 2.4 key passes per game, a figure seconded only by Tranmere's Sam Finley.

The winger, who can be used all across the midfield positions too, is out of contract in the summer, making him a perfect man to target for a bargain fee in January.

If he could continue his level of output in League One, the acquisition of Tilley could revalutionise Rovers' threat from wide positions, something that has been identified as a problem area this year.