Premier League Crystal Palace wanted to sign Lewis Gordon before the former Brentford youngster opted to join Bristol Rovers instead, Gas coach Joey Barton tells the BBC Radio Bristol.
Of course, some context is required.
Gordon, at Bristol Rovers, will be playing regular first-team football, week-in, week-out, for the first time in his career. The former Scotland U19 international has started both of the club’s last two League One fixtures; a 4-0 battering of Burton Albion and a 1-0 triumph over Oxford United.
If he’d put pen to paper Crystal Palace instead, after a couple of weeks training with The Eagles, Gordon would have found himself in a similar position to the one he was leaving behind at Brentford.
On the fringes, hoping to break through but maybe never quite managing it. Bristol Rovers, then, feels like a classic case of taking one step back in order to take two steps forward.
Crystal Palace wanted to sign Lewis Gordon from Brentford
“We’ve managed to swoop in and beat Crystal Palace to him,” says Barton. “He was over there training for the last couple of weeks and he was involved with their under-23s setup.
“He’s somebody who came in and hit the ground running. He came in and did really well in the session and, luckily for us, we managed to show him a pathway into our first team. He’s got that straight away.
“He’ll want to play senior football. He’s had a 70-odd game spell with Brentford with their B team, so he’s been playing open-age games. But nothing recreates playing in the first team in the Football League for real.
“He’s with us for that and he gets his opportunity.”
Gordon, a London-born left-back, will turn 22 next February. Another season of U23 football at Crystal Palace would have only taken him so far, with the cut-off point rapidly approaching.
“I just feel it was time for me to kick on now and start playing professional football,” Gordon himself explains.
“Rovers is a good club. And when they were interested in me, it was really a no-brainer. I didn’t want to be in (the youth system) anymore.
So I thought I’d get some first-team football at a good club.”
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