Gatlin O'Donkor has said that he wants to give 100 per cent and score as many goals as possible for Bristol Rovers after the forward completed his loan switch from Oxford United on Friday, becoming the Gas' 15th signing of the summer window and fifth loanee.
The 19-year-old has made the short move along the M4 for the remainder of the season and will provide a much-needed additional option to Rovers' attacking arsenal.
Matt Taylor has already seen Ruel Sotiriou and Promise Omochere added to his squad on permanent deals this summer while the Gas manager will be without Chris Martin for a significant period of time after the striker, who scored 16 League One goals last term, broke his fibula.
Speaking to club media, O'Donkor said: “It feels amazing to be a Bristol Rovers player. I can’t wait to get out there and show people what I can do. Speaking with the manager, I feel the way he wants to play really suits me. I just can’t wait to get out there.
“Bristol Rovers has always been a tough place to go. Obviously, the way the fans are, they’re always backing the team. They make it a tough place to go for teams, so I can’t wait to be a part of that.
"I just want to give 100 per cent every game and score as many goals as I can. Promotion is the end goal for every team in the league, so we’ll see how that goes."
On the arrival of O'Donkor, Taylor added: "We are pleased to welcome Gatlin to the Club. Despite his young age, Gatlin already has good experience in the EFL and he added to that with a loan move in the National League in the second half of last season.
"We are looking forward to working with Gatlin and helping him improve on his own game throughout the remainder of the season."
Born in Reading, the teenager came through the Oxford United academy and holds the record for their youngest-appearance maker, coming off the bench in an EFL Trophy match against Forest Green Rovers in December 2020 aged just 16-years and 55 days.
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The forward has made a total of 67 appearances for the U's, scoring twice with the vast majority of those matches coming from the bench. O'Donkor also made his Championship debut three weeks ago when getting a cameo in Oxford's 2-0 opening day win over Norwich City. He also played 29 minutes against Peterborough United in the League Cup first round.
20 of those appearances also came from the bench in League One last season with the 19-year-old featuring in both matches between the U's and Rovers before he joined National League side Barnet on loan for the remainder of the campaign. There he scored five goals and provided three assists in 13 matches.
Whether O'Donkor is the final addition of the summer for the Gas is yet to be seen with the window set to shut at 11pm tonight but he will be available for Rovers' League One clash at home to Cambridge United tomorrow.
