Bristol Rovers is pleased to confirm the signing of Tom James.
Full-back James moves to The Memorial Stadium from Sky Bet League One outfit Leyton Orient, agreeing a two-year deal with the Club.
A Sky Bet League Two winner with the O's, James made 35 appearances in the third-tier last campaign and is the Gas' fifth signing of the summer transfer window.
"I'm excited to join Bristol Rovers," he said. "It's a massive Club with a great squad, and I cannot wait to see where the season takes us. The gaffer has an impressive record in the EFL, and when he got in contact, I knew this was the right project for me.
"I'm already looking forward to working under him and the rest of the staff. Getting the deal done early was important, as I can have a full pre-season with the rest of the squad.
"I have played at The Mem before, and I know the sort of atmosphere the Gasheads create. As an opposition player, they made it really tough, so it will be nice to be on the right side of it. Hopefully, we can make memories together this season."
Steve Evans said: “Tom James is a lad that my teams have come up against many times. He is a very comfortable right-back, right wing-back and right-sided centre-back, technically he is excellent. He has got a Kofi Balmer-type long throw as well, which is great for us. He is a really good signing for us.
"He is competitive and a very experienced player who is another one coming into the group with promotions on his CV. You can't beat good quality experience, and when you get towards the end of the season, I've always said you need lads with that experience of getting over the line before."
Born in 1996, James came through Cardiff City's academy and made his debut for the Bluebirds in May 2024, coming off the bench in a 2-1 loss against Chelsea.
The defender moved to the Sky Bet League Two team Yeovil Town in January 2017, featuring regularly for the Glovers and scoring an impressive six goals in 38 league appearances in his final season at the Club. Overall, he played 96 times for Yeovil, scoring eight goals, before switching to Scottish Premiership club Hibernian in June 2019.
He featured six times for Hibbs in the 2019/20 season and had loan spells at Wigan Athletic and Salford City during the 2020/21 campaign before moving permanently to Orient in July 2021.
James played 21 times in Sky Bet League Two in his first term at the Club, scoring four goals, before playing regularly the following season, appearing 41 times and helping the O's clinch the title. The 30-year-old spent five campaigns at Orient, playing 191 times across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and registering 15 assists.
Everyone at Bristol Rovers warmly welcomes Tom to The Mem and wishes him every success in his career with the Club.
