Bristol Rovers have confirmed the signing of Romaine Sawyers on a deal lasting until the end of the season.
The St Kitts and Nevis international becomes the clubs first signing of the January transfer window, joining on a free transfer having most recently played for League Two side AFC Wimbledon.
When speaking to club media after putting pen to paper, Sawyers said: “It’s great to be here. I appreciate the opportunity that the Club and the gaffer have given me, and I really want to repay that faith by putting in good performances between now and the end of the season.” He also described feeling “very wanted” by both the Director of Football George Friend and Head Coach Iñigo Calderón, which helped him to make the decision to join the Gas.
The 33-year-old began his career with West Bromwich Albion, graduating from their academy before gaining senior experience with loan spells at Port Vale, Shrewsbury Town and Walsall, the later of which became a permanent move in 2013. While with the Saddlers, he made 132 appearances and scored 16 goals.
The next step for Sawyers was a move up to the Championship, and he received this opportunity in 2016 when he joined Brentford. He stayed at the London club for three seasons, and further impressed, being named the Players Player of the Year for 2017-18, as well as being made club captain.
In 2019, Sawyers returned to where it all began, at West Brom, where he was a vital part of the Baggies promotion winning team, making 43 appearances in the 2019-20 campaign. He enjoyed a season in the Premier League at The Hawthorns, before being loaned out to Stoke City the following season.
His next move would be to Wales, as he signed for Cardiff City in the summer of 2022, where he would only make 39 appearances before being released in the summer just gone. In December, he joined AFC Wimbledon in League Two on a short-term deal but only made five appearances before leaving to “pursue a new challenge.”
That new challenge has come in the form of Bristol Rovers, who will hope to benefit from Sawyers’ experience playing at a high level as they look to pull further away from the League One drop zone during the second half of the season.