Steve Evans will be laughing to the Bristol Rovers transfer bank right now | OneFootball

Bristol Rovers have sold two talented players who didn't spend much time at the club last season

Normally, when a club loses talented players to the division above, it's seen as a big blow, but for Bristol Rovers, it's arguably reinforced their position as pre-season promotion favourites in League Two.

The Gas were in real peril back in December after Darrell Clarke was sacked after losing 10 straight games. The hangover from their League One relegation hadn't gone away, and they were staring down the barrel of another battle down at the bottom.

To make matters worse, Kamil Conteh, a talented midfielder, was angling to leave the Memorial Stadium midway through the campaign, and he got his wish, moving to eventual League One champions Lincoln City, where he played just once.

Additionally, Isaac Hutchinson, who scored five times in a loan spell at Cheltenham Town in the first half of the season, wasn't set to stick around after returning in January either, rejoining Steve Cotterill's side. The team was getting worse, and the struggles continued for a while.

It took a while for new manager Steve Evans to get his feet under the desk, but when he did, Bristol Rovers were unstoppable, winning 11 of their final 14 games, including a run of eight straight leading up to the final day, to finish 14th.

Bristol Rovers have sold Kamil Conteh — Isaac Hutchinson set to follow

Action Images

Ultimately, all football fans want are players who want to be at their club, and Bristol Rovers had that in the second half of the season under a manager in Steve Evans who fully bought into the culture at the Memorial Stadium, even going into the crowd towards the end of their 4-0 home win over Cheltenham in late April.

Conteh and Hutchinson, despite their clear qualities at League Two level, ultimately didn't seem to want to be at the club, and the Gas have been able to recoup fees for both of them.

The defensive midfielder has left for Bromley this summer, while Hutchinson is set to move to League One, too, signing for Doncaster Rovers in a move that Rovers fans online are in agreement is the best for all parties.

Bristol Rovers have shown that they could have promotion form without Conteh and Hutchinson at the club towards the tail end of last season and are now set to receive fees for them this summer.

Those sums, expected to be six-figures, will be massive in helping bring in talent ahead of the new League Two campaign, as Steve Evans looks to oversee yet another fourth-tier promotion after achieving it twice in the past with Rotherham United and Stevenage.

Bristol Rovers have already had a good transfer window thus far, and it can get better after recent sales

Action Images

Bristol Rovers have been one of the busier sides in the EFL so far this summer when it comes to the transfer window.

Seven new faces have already arrived at the Memorial Stadium, including Jack Aitchison, Ciaran Kelly, Ben Purrington and Tom James, who have EFL promotions on their CV.

Bobby Kamwa has also arrived, who played a key role in keeping Newport County in League Two last season, and has all the tools to really explode on an attacking front for a side challenging for promotion in the fourth tier.

All of those have been free signings, and it's still a very strong window thus far. The sales of a couple of wantaway players will serve to give Steve Evans and the recruitment team at the Memorial Stadium even more freedom in the market to go out and bring in more quality ahead of the new campaign.

The level of optimism at Bristol Rovers is almost unrecognisable compared to the feeling around the club back in December, but with a few seemingly bad eggs moving on, the focus is now on players who want to be there, and it looks like the Gas could be a dangerous prospect in League Two next year if they can carry on their momentum from the end of 2025/26.