Bristol Rovers return five loanees but Hutchinson is back

Bristol Rovers have returned five loan players midway through their deals, but Isaac Hutchinson has been recalled to the Memorial Stadium.

The League Two side, who replaced former head coach Darrell Clarke with Steve Evans last month, are 20th in the fourth tier, four points outside the relegation zone.

Midfielder Hutchinson, 25, has been recalled from his loan with Cheltenham, where he scored eight goals in 19 appearances in the first half of the campaign.

Meanwhile, centre-back Kacper Lopata heads back to Barnsley, having made 16 appearances, while fellow defender Stephan Negru returns to Oxford United after 10 games

Midfielders Joel Cotterill and Alfie Chang return to Swansea City and Birmingham City respectively after playing 16 and 19 matches for the club.

Meanwhile, Wales Under 21 winger Freddie Issaka will link back up with parent club Plymouth Argyle after making nine appearances in his loan spell.

All five players had originally joined on season-long loan deals in summer 2025.

The moves free up spaces in the squad for Evans to bring in new players as he aims to pull Rovers away from the relegation zone and comes after the Gas signed Ryan De Havilland from Peterborough on Saturday.