Out-going Coventry City striker Jonson Clarke-Harris started transfer deadline day wanted by two of the top sides in the division and ended up at the second worst team in League One.
Sky Blues boss Mark Robins revealed the 24-year-old had interest from automatic promotion chasing Portsmouth and Sunderland, as well as play-off hopefuls Fleetwood Town.
But on a remarkable day of events, City went from possibly getting a fee for the centre-forward to simply getting him off the wage bill.
Asked if there was any other interest, Robins said: “There was Fleetwood, there was Sunderland and there was Portsmouth early on.
“I have no idea what happened.
“I was told Portsmouth and Sunderland were going to make a bid so then you think what that will look like, and can we do something ourselves off the back of it. But we have had limited time to do it.
“But it just came at the end of play that Tommy Widdrington (City’s former head of recruitment) rang Dave Boddy and expressed Bristol Rovers’ interest and that was done in a short space of time.
“Jonno was in Rotherham and drove down and got the paper work done at quarter to eleven last night, so it was a close one.
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“Yesterday morning he wasn’t going anywhere. It just unfolded over the day.”
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Robins revealed that Clarke-Harris has earned himself a lucrative deal at the Memorial Stadium that sets him up in life.
“I couldn’t stand in Jonno’s way either because of the contract that he’s earned, which is outstanding for him and allows him to develop his life off the field as well,” he said.
“It’s a deal that sets him up.
“The players that have gone haven’t been in the team of late and it just became clear that they would need to play and the window presented us with opportunities to move on and we’re left with the players that we have.”
Abu Ogogo has also signed for the Gas, joining earlier in the day after cancelling his City contract by mutual consent and joining on a free, just seven months after signing on a free in the summer from Shrewsbury Town.
Explaining what had gone wrong for Ogogo, Robins said: “He’s a great lad and just got his head down and worked but just the way the team is evolving means we couldn’t get him in.
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“He has gone off the Bristol Rovers with Jonno where they will try to further their careers.”
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