All Activity

Maybe if we get this guy, Pears will be off to Derby?

This was discussed a few pages back.

From sky didn't hear this one

Elliot also caveated that article with another post about supporting the LT with subscriptions etc as a lot of work goes into articles like that and it doesn't just take an hour to throw together. Not being funny, but most Rovers fans who have paid attention to the last few years could have written a very similar article. There is no news in there. I found the Toth and Cantwell sections are particularly amusing, not a chance either of those get done.

15th of January. No other signings.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25768689.blackburn-rovers-contract-latest-expiring-deals-key-players/ Blackburn Rovers' focus is on the transfer window but there remain a number of contract decisions bubbling away behind the scenes. Whilst the priority is adding new faces to Valerien Ismael's squad, Rovers have several players that they'd like to tie down before the summer. Contract renewals have been a thorny subject at Rovers since Gregg Broughton left the club. Only three first-team players have renewed since December 2023, with Yuri Ribeiro and Adam Forshaw extending their short-term deals and Scott Wharton committing his future in October. Last summer, Rovers were backed into a corner regarding Callum Brittain, Lewis Travis and Dom Hyam, forcing them to sell. Danny Batth, Andi Weimann and Tyrhys Dolan also moved on when Rovers would've liked them to stay. Here is Lancashire Telegraph's latest information on the contract landscape at Ewood Park. Ryan Hedges - 2026 Rovers activated the 12-month option in Hedges' contract last summer, meaning they will have to renew or release the Welshman at the end of this season. Hedges has become an integral player for Valerien Ismael. The shift to 3-5-2 has benefited him with the left-wing-back role tailor-made for him in this system. Rovers received positive news, exclusively revealed by LT, after his surgery to repair a fractured fibula went well. There are hopes he will play again this season when the worst-case scenario meant he could've worn blue and white for the final time. Pre-injury, it's understood that Rovers held informal discussions about extending Hedges' contract. Talks were initially opened more than 12 months ago but went quiet during last January's window and the subsequent departure of John Eustace. Those discussions were revived in November, with a willingness from both sides to extend his four-year stay at the club. Hedges is open to fresh terms, though would likely seek the security of a multi-year deal. He turned 31 in July but since hamstring issues in 2023/24, has been largely injury-free, with this latest issue caused by contact rather than anything muscular. A formal offer hasn't been issued at the time of writing, with focus now on his rehabilitation. However, if the terms are right, I'd say there's a good chance he will extend his time at Rovers. Sondre Tronstad - 2026 Rovers would love to keep Tronstad beyond the summer but that remains an unlikely scenario. Head of Football, Rudy Gestede, stated as much publicly in September, with Tronstad's family keen to return to Norway. It's understood that there's been no change in that stance and he remains likely to leave on a free transfer. There are no plans for him to depart in the January transfer window, though. At the time of writing, there's no club lined up for Tronstad ahead of the summer. The 30-year-old will see out the final months of his Rovers deal before assessing his options. Kristi Montgomery - 2026 with an option Rovers offered the breakthrough Academy graduate a fresh deal in 2025 but that hasn't yet been signed. As reported by LT in October, Montgomery was keen to see how his gametime progressed after limited opportunities in the season's early months. Since then, his minutes have increased significantly, though injuries in the last six weeks have hampered his progress. After returning from an ankle issue, he's now injured his shoulder, with the prognosis not yet public knowledge. With a loan move ruled out this month, it feels a matter of when, rather than if, he pens new terms. Rovers have more time to find an agreement as he has a 12-month option they can trigger. Balazs Toth - 2027 Moving onto those out of contract in 2027, Rovers are approaching a critical point with Balazs Toth. The goalkeeper has 18 months to run on his current deal. Toth has established himself a number one and has made his senior debut for Hungary. His star is rising and that will clearly attract suitors. Zalan Zombori, an agent within Toth's representatives, World In Motion, as well as an ex-player turned pundit, suggested Champions League clubs could be interested this summer. Translated from Hungarian, the told Nemzeti Sport last week: "I think he is in a good place now. He is in a good position; he has already earned his place in the team with his previous performance. "If he is able to finish his injury in the spring, I think he has a chance for any serious opportunity in the summer. "But the goal is not necessarily to change at all costs, but I think the possibility to play in the Champions League is a very good thing. We'll see, if he can perform like that all the time, then I think he will have interesting opportunities in the summer." Rovers are keen to tie Toth down and those comments are only further evidence of his enhanced reputation. With one year left, clubs could sense an opportunity as they did with Travis et al. last year. Todd Cantwell - 2027 Speaking at Rovers' 'Evening with Valerien Ismael', the head coach claimed talks were ongoing to sign their captain to a fresh contract. According to eyewitnesses, there was genuine optimism that Cantwell would renew his stay at Ewood Park. It's evident that the skipper is a big part of the plans for Ismael. He has invested heavily in Cantwell, making him club captain and building the team around him to a certain extent. He has rewarded Rovers with far more consistent displays this term. His technical ability is amongst the best at the club and he's enjoyed the new leadership role presented to him. In my view, it's quite clear that Cantwell is good for Rovers and visa versa. The question is whether they can strike a financial package that pleases all parties as much. Ryan Alebiosu The defender signed a long-term contract in the summer but there have already been murmurings of admirers in the press. Whilst LT reported that Everton, or anyone else, have not made contact, his impressing displays will attract admirers. His enhanced reputation internationally will do that too, having made his debut for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations. Alebiosu has quite clearly been the best piece of recruitment by the club last summer, considering the minimal fee paid. LT understands that Rovers have indicated that they would like to reward Alebiosu for his fast start with upgraded terms. Formal talks have yet to take place and that would likely be in the following months or indeed the summer. This would clearly be a proactive and sensible move to ensure a player who is quickly becoming a top asset, feels valued at Ewood Park. Others deals to watch Hayden Carter has struggled to stay injury free. Adam Forshaw is the only other player who could be a free agent next summer. Rovers will make a decision him in the summer, as they did in 2025. Rovers have eight more players whose deals expire in 2027. Of those, Yuki Ohashi, Harry Pickering and Sean McLoughlin all have 12-month options in their deals. Hayden Carter's situation is difficult. At the moment, it's impossible for Rovers to negotiate as he has struggled so badly with injuries. After only six starts in 2025, it feels imperative that the next six months go to plan for Carter. When available, he is clearly part of Rovers' best XI. But now at 25, he has to find a way to remain fit to realise the promise he has. Aynsley Pears' situation will likely depend on how much he plays between now and the summer. Rovers tried to move him on last year and so you'd expect he could depart if he isn't number one. Yuri Ribeiro has lost his place as a result of the system change. Rovers will likely take a view on his situation in the next six to 12 months, with no obvious fit for him in the 3-5-2 shape. Jake Garrett is still recovering from groin surgery in the summer. Having won Young Player of the Year in 2024, it's been a rough 18 months for him after two poor loans and a serious injury.

Great point. Obviously not. (At any normal Club anyway)

not a problem 🙂

8 weeks was given as the best case scenario, and that would be mid March not mid April. He still isn't going to be able to contribute much though. It's an awkward one, he has been one of our better players this season, but with the injury you have to question if we should even register him if we are short on spaces by the end of the window.

Apologies 😄

And arguably that couple of hundred k (wouldn't be surprised if it was quite a bit more) didnt even need to be spent given Pratt had come in and done so well. The agents brokering the Cashin deal will have been happy though.

Completely forgot about the Hyam fee! Where has all this money gone?!

Still can't see what Pratt's done wrong. Great advertisement for potential Academy recruits, come in, play out of your skin, then get promptly jettisoned because another Club wants one of their players to get some game time.

A couple hundred £k on the loan fee for the Brighton chap is the most we'll see. Long-term thinking went out of the window the minute those idiots arrived 15 years ago.

Yes some of the under reporting of the Crowds for bigger games back in the day was quite ludicrous - presumably to save on tax. I've often wondered how that works these days the other way round. ST monies are already banked so there's no harm done from a tax perspective in massaging the figures upwards to make them look more respectable, but some of the over-reporting recently looks way in excess of numbers of missing ST holders. But surely no-one would make themselves potentially liable for tax they shouldnt be paying!

Yes, that's what I said 🙂

The £3m banked for Hyam at the last minute in the summer seems to have well and truly vanished into the ether. They couldn't have been relying on a deal for him going through that late in the window so as such any monies received must have been (from their point of view) a completely unexpected bonus. Yet no sign whatsoever of it this window. And willing stooge Ismael happily went along with it.

Munroe has signed for Boro

One we were linked to a week or two ago, left back/wing back, He has joined Boro for £300K + 30% sell on

Recruitment team must have set the filters on their search as " Find another forward player with first name Ryan, surname beginning with "H" who is currently injured". On a serious note as with Baradji it's taking the Moneyball approach to new levels to sign players who are going to be unfit for the majority of the time you need them in a time sensitive situation. I thought the idea was to get value for money out of players whose careers might have stalled due to something like injury but who were now fit. Not ones currently injured.

Yeah it is definitely circumstance. Because the Walker revolution so drastically and suddenly changed the whole scale and direction of the club so much it is very easy to 'compartmentalise' our recent history into 3 distinct clear periods. Pre-Walker (everything up to 1991), Walker (1990-2010) and Venkys (since 2010). Because things have been so horrific over the last 15 years there seems to be an eagerness among some to treat the middle period as an aberration and normalise what has been going on here over recent years as merely a return to normal service. I do, unfortunately, think a part of it comes from the attitude of those who were supporting the club in the 70s and 80s when it wasn't all PL and success, and some of those people get a kick out of reminding the younger end or those who started following in the good times that the 70s and 80s version is the 'true Rovers' and they are the 'true supporters' for having experienced those times not just the good times. Quite weird in my book but I'm convinced it is there as a factor. Oddly those people don't want to talk about the decades before that. It is probably the equivalent of Spurs fans reminiscing about the days they were a non-league side in the early 1900s or perhaps more like Ipswich fans saying that they belong in the bottom division because that's all they were before Alf Ramsey turned up. But yeah, if we'd have had say a fit and proper owner buy the club in 2010, but gradually declined from the PL into the Championship over a number of years, and then they'd have sold up to Venkys in 2020 and they'd have wrecked the club a decade later than they did, I suspect less would be willing to tolerate what is happening here. But because it has been going on now for so long, and there was a straight jump from Walker Trust regime to Venky regime, they can just box off the 1991-2011 period as a blip. I'm sure the numpties on that other forum will quite happy with things as they sit in an 80% empty stadium and insist they have it right and everyone else is wrong, and presumably all of them will be renewing when we go down to League One because the club and players need their support.

https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2026/january/15/rovers-to-take-on-the-tractor-boys-in-premier-league-cup/

Club motto will be amended soon to say "Why do today, that which can be put off until tomorrow?"

Jackson has had a mare there and is rightly being called out on it. It’s like he’s been told off by the club an now he’s overcompensating to maybe try get back in their good books. No way that article or news can be displayed as positive when our need is now

To be fair I take that article as a sign that even internally they know we're fucked if we don't sign a decent striker, and we can't afford one if we also need to sign a new LWB. Probably even if we don't, but every penny counts when the club has to wash its own face I guess.