Steve Evans must prioritise Isaac Hutchinson U-turn at Bristol Rovers | OneFootball

Isaac Hutchinson wants to leave Bristol Rovers but can Steve Evans change his mind

Despite at one point looking primed for a second successive relegation, Bristol Rovers ended the 2025-2026 season in stark contrast to their previous campaign. After losing three on the bounce in February, the Gas would then only be defeated once more over a run of 14 games, helping them to a mid-table finish.

It marked a positive end to a wild roller-coaster of a season which saw the Gas hit record highs and record lows.

Alongside the story on the pitch, however, there was another story rumbling away off it.

A tough start at Bristol Rovers for Isaac Hutchinson

Isaac Hutchinson arrived at Bristol Rovers with great promise. Tipped as an ideal replacement for the outgoing Antony Evans, the attacking midfielder was recruited from Walsall following what should have been his breakthrough season in League Two the year before – registering 27 goal contributions in 53 matches in 2023/24.

Hutchinson had a tough start to life in Bristol. He struggled to maintain a meaningful run of form for the Gas before an incident occurred that has come to define his time so far at Rovers. In what must have been a severely traumatic experience for his family, an apparent club supporter allegedly made phone contact with Hutchinson’s partner to make a series of disparaging remarks regarding the midfielder's form. A boundary that should never be crossed.

Adding fuel to the fire, an online spat then followed between some supporters and another relative of the then out-of-form midfielder, ultimately leading to Hutchinson spending the majority of the 25/26 campaign with Rovers’ League Two and West Country rivals Cheltenham Town.

In electric form for the Robins, the 26-year-old again accrued decent stats, finishing the season with 18 goals and four assists in 36 appearances.

Ambitious Isaac Hutchinson tells Steve Evans and Bristol Rovers "I want to play higher"

Steve Evans recently revealed that Hutchinson has told him he wants to leave to play at a higher level.

Evans also spoke of his tough stance on the situation while leaving the door open for Hutchinson to reconsider. In an end-of-season interview with club media, Evans said: “He’s made no secret of the fact he wants to play higher. He's very capable, in my opinion. I’ve managed a lot in League One myself and in the championship. He’s certainly capable of playing higher than the level we're playing. But of course, if he doesn't get the move, if the value is not met, a transfer fee is not agreed, he'll come back in with us as I told him at the end of the summer campaign. And then he can get this nonsense out his head that he wants to move on.”

He continued: “But at the minute, we're willing to facilitate that because, principally, what I believe is, if you don't want to be here — get on your bike! You have to want to play for this football club.

“We’ve proven in the last 4–5 weeks of the season, fans traveling all around the country eleven and a half/12,000 at home, people not getting tickets on the last couple home games. It's just been amazing with not a lot to play for but pride in the gas shirt. So, from our point of view, Isaac made his views clear, so we're willing to help. The chairman will set whatever fee is appropriate.”

Bristol Rovers decision lies with Isaac Hutchinson

Despite having a year remaining on his contract, and his good form for Cheltenham, attracting a substantial fee for the talented midfielder will be made harder by his inability to settle at Rovers and his record in his first season in League One with the Gas. However, Hutchinson is one of the most talented players League Two currently has, and it will be hard for Rovers to simply reject every offer out of hand should he be firmly set on an exit. And it wouldn’t make much sense to retain an unhappy player just for his contract to run down.

Ultimately, the decision, it seems, is on Hutchinson and his family. And, following the egregious over-stepping of boundaries, Gasheads shouldn’t resent his choice to move his family from the city should he do so.

But what was also crystal clear at the time of the incident was the volume of backlash to the incident among the wider Gashead family, demonstrating once more the true values of the club.

Bristol Rovers currently have the air of an evolving club. Significant changes to their structure, with the new ownership seemingly implementing lessons they have learned from their fraught first two years at the helm, has given hope that Rovers have arrested the free-fall. The ownership also continue to execute a competitive transfer budget to match the club's own ambitions, also having one of the EFL’s most reputable managers.

We know the vast majority of supporters will give Hutch every bit of love he needs should he be able to put his first experience at Rovers behind him — particularly if he can shine in the blue and white quarters, as he has for Cheltenham and Walsall. And with the energy created by the end of the recent season inspiring a new spring of optimism around the club, there is every reason to stay on board in BS7.