'Playmaker's EFL 72': #6 Aaron Collins

With the current campaign entering its final straight, Playmaker has balanced all, brought all to mind and ranked its top 72 players from across the EFL. 

Those who followed 'The Playmaker 72' last season know the drill: this is less a countdown of the 'best' footballers across the EFL, more a celebration of those players who have lit up the Championship, League One and League Two throughout 2022/23.

To once again paraphrase the great Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski, these are just, like, our opinions, man - and we will do our utmost to back up them up with facts, stats and analysis.

We're right in amongst this season's big hitters now, and next up is League One's Player of the Season. 

Number 6: Aaron Collins (Bristol Rovers)

Recording a 'Double Double' - where a player records 10+ goals AND 10+ assists - is a rare achievement that illustrates a clear ability to both score and create goals, and League One's Player of the Season Aaron Collins managed that very feat this season. 

The Bristol Rovers man enjoyed a fantastic campaign for The Gas, and racked up 16 goals and 11 assists to establish himself as one of the most potent forwards in the division. 

Only three players were more productive than the 25-year-old in the third tier (Chaplin, Clarke-Harris and McGoldrick) and Collins was the only man in the division to manage the mythical 'Double Double'. In fact the only other footballers to multi-task so successfully were both in the Championship: Coventry's Viktor Gyökeres (21G, 10A) and Sheffield United's Iliman Ndiaye (14G, 10A). 

A strong runner with a lovely ability to go either way with the ball at his feet, all of Collins' 16 League One strikes were scored from open play and nine of them notched with his 'weaker' left foot. 

In his first-ever season in League One, Collins ranked fifth in the division for successful dribbles with 54 and also supplied 64 key passes - posing an all-round offensive threat that few could match. 

After a slow start, Bristol Rovers motored into gear with seven wins between October and New Year's Day, this purple patch coinciding with Collins firing home seven goals and supplying seven assists to fire the Pirates within reach of the play-off spots. 

🗨️ "There is something building... people are realising Rovers are a force to be reckoned with."

📈 #Playmaker spoke exclusively to L1's most productive player, Aaron Collins, regarding his fantastic form and The Gas' renaissance under Joey Barton.https://t.co/SGG60JGLDo

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) December 24, 2022

The wheels fell off Rovers' promotion bid in 2023, Joey Barton's side ending the season with an underwhelming winless streak of seven games, a reliance on Collins illustrated by the fact he was involved in 47% of their league goals. 

Playing under Barton has brought the best out of the Welshman and Collins was quick to pay tribute to his manager in an interview with Playmaker earlier in the season. 

"(Joey) wants characters in his team and he does challenge you to be better. 

"Individually I'm a strong enough character to deal with that and I think it has made me a better player. I never lost confidence or doubted myself for a minute, but the manager has tested me, as well as given me his backing. 

"He'll give you stick in front of the team or in meetings and it is an environment that builds character. If you look at the players he brings in, they are all strong characters and I feel like that's why he's built such a good team over the past two or three seasons."

With the regular season now over, it is no surprise that Championship clubs are reportedly circling for Collins - who could well climb another rung on the football ladder this summer despite his contract with Rovers running until 2025.

Speaking about the speculation surrounding his forward, Barton's desire to keep hold of Collins is tempered by the realities of the situation. 

“It’s going to depend on the fee,” said Barton when asked about his talisman this week.

"We took Aaron as a project really. He was a talented boy in League Two and a little bit lightweight.

“I still think he’s got work to do. And somebody is going to get the benefit of that. He is coming into his prime now and unfortunately, we’re not a charity.

“They need to pay correctly if these clubs want him. I’m imagining there will be a deal to be struck. We’re in a good position from that, we’ve got him contractually secure.

“He’s a great lad and if the price is right it’s going to be tough for us, but I’m hoping no one meets his asking price and Aaron comes back.”

Playmaker's EFL 72...the countdown

6: Aaron Collins

7: Iliman Ndiaye 8: Barry Bannan 9: Josh Brownhill 10: Jonson Clarke-Harris

11: Lawrence Vigouroux 12: Owen Moxon 13: Nathan Tella 14: Leif Davis 

15: Carlton Morris 16: Carl Piergianni 17: Zian Flemming 18: Jesurun Rak-Sakyi 

19: Alex Scott 20: Oliver Norwood 21: Elliot Watt 22: David McGoldrick 23: Ian Maatsen 

24: Michael Cooper25: Bali Mumba 26: Tom Lockyer 27: Ryan Giles 28: Colby Bishop

29: Christian Walton 30: Amad Diallo 31: Mads Andersen 32: Sam Morsy 

33: Jack Clarke 34: Eiran Cashin 35: Alfie May 36: Wes Burns 37: Conor Bradley 

38: Anel Ahmedhodžić 39: Shaun Rooney 40: Ben Whitfield 41: Adam Phillips 

42: Joel Piroe 43: Kristian Dennis 44: Liam Palmer 45: Idris El Mizouni 

46: Taylor Harwood-Bellis 47: Ricardo Santos 48: João Pedro 49: Conor Hourihane 

50: Anass Zaroury 51: Morgan Whittaker 52: James Trafford 53: Sam Nombe 

54: Theo Archibald 55: Hayden Hackney 56: Gabriel Sara 57: Gustavo Hamer 

58: Miles Leaburn 59: Jacob Greaves 60: Dion Charles 61: John Swift 62: Luca Connell 

63: Jerry Yates 64: Dan Sweeney 65: Tom Ince 66: Dan Kemp 67: Finn Azaz 

68: Dan Agyei 69: Freddie Woodman 70: Will Collar 71: Anis Mehmeti 72: Ibou Touray