2025 Summer Transfer Thread. 😂

[RevidgeBlue]

Well I'm going to be negative, people are obviously  free to disagree and argue the other side of the coin.

The penny really dropped for me today with the Forshaw signing as to just how screwed we really are. Despite all the valiant attempts in certain quarters to depict this as the sensible addition of a bit of experience to the squad, in reality all we're probably seeing is the well worn scenario for us of having drawn a blank with our A, B, and C lists and ending up with something approaching the Z list. We didn't even want him a few weeks back, if we'd wanted him that badly we could have secured his services then.

Then when the young Belgian lad with a sketchy record in a poor League was signed, it was justified on the basis he had plenty of pace and this supposedly suited the blueprint that VI allegedly wants to follow of high pressing, high intensity football. Next one through the door .....Adam Forshaw. You'd laugh if you didn't want to cry.

The only common denominator these two have apart from probably not being good enough for the Championship is that they're also probably extremely cheap in the general scheme of things.

At this point I'm sure there'll be the usual chorus of "Let's see who we've signed by the end of the window!" but tbh I don't expect anything to improve significantly. Most Clubs tend to target their key players and get them in first and pad out their squad a bit later. We tend to get one or two squad fillers in on the general understanding that ""Don't worry, they haven't eaten up too much of the budget" and a sort of "jam tomorrow" promise that the key players in the positions we really need will arrive later in the window. 

Tomorrow rarely arrives and neither do the key players. Instead we usually see a bit more squad filling and window dressing round the edges bolstered by the last minute addition of Premier League loans which again tend to generally centre around who is still available at the last minute rather than whether they can adequately  fill the positions where we are in the most need.

I've expected the worst the last two or three seasons and imo we've only been kept afloat by happening on 2 exceptionally talented young Head Coaches who we've then managed to drive away. I've also repeatedly said that imo we're only one bad manager away from oblivion. Has to happen at some point without a complete change of approach.

[WacoRover]

RevidgeBlue, I agree with much of what you say. not all, but much. 
I haven’t said anything yet… as I prefer to wait until the window closes, as you say about many of our supporters.😅 After all, the club did finish strong at the end of the season, players coming back, Ismail appeared to make good selections, use his bench more wisely, etc. 

One thing you said, that I 100% agree with- the club will get several loaners just before the season begins. That has not helped us much in the past, and those longer than the loan, Because we cannot afford to purchase them. I am not a fan of this policy, even though we have got some guys in the past like Harvey Elliott, Branthwaite, etc. it is simply not a beneficial strategy to the long-term welfare of the club. it’s merely a stop gap.

The other thing I worry about, is the players we’ve sold off, hardly any of that money seems to go back into the club. I believe most people here feel the owners are using that money to pay off their business losses. I don’t know for sure, & they are taking a huge risk in financing a football club, as few clubs make any money & they are entitled to protect their investment… but our academy, as strong as it’s been, simply cannot produce 2 or 3 quality players a year needed to advance the fortunes of the club. Therefore, the only way to improve the club to the goal of promotion is transfers. 

Edited 10 hours ago by WacoRover

[rob_of_the_rovers]

Not going to be particularly excited about Tavares, will have to wait and see. Started half the games in the Portuguese league which is pretty poor outside the top three. Let's hope he's been brought in to fill in the squad a bit rather than be a starter.

[Ricceh]

Absolutely no way we are spending that money on a midfielder as a bench option. Travis or Tronstad will be out the door.

[Neal]

Can't imagine Tavares is costing us 2 million. A smaller Portuguese club where he played half the games... Sounds more like a cheap pick up. 

[KentExile]

1 hour ago, Neal said:

Can't imagine Tavares is costing us 2 million. A smaller Portuguese club where he played half the games... Sounds more like a cheap pick up. 

I have no idea of the credentials of the person who posted this, but a translation of his post seems to indicate (I think... auto translations can be funny things) that the €2M (Euros not £) would be if/when all clauses are met

* obviously assuming that the guy knows what he is talking about and that it has translated properly/I have read the translation correctly (the bold part in the translation below is less than clear)

 

Original post & translation below should anyone else want to hazard a guess

 

Sidnei Tavares at Blackburn Rovers… the clock is ticking imminently!

Negotiations in the final stages to reach a full agreement between clubs, in a transfer that will be around 2M € with objectives included (exclusive values).

The midfielder leaves Moreirense and is expected to travel to England by Sunday to undergo medical examinations and sign a contract.

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by KentExile

[Neal]

So he says "around 2 million euro" in English thats £1.7 million. I think we could probably round that down to more likely 1.5 mill including add-ons. He'll probably initially cost about 800-900k. Which sounds more like us tbh. 

[Paul Mellelieu]

 

[Tomphil2]

Low instalments over the course of a contract is probably the only thing they can get past the finance men.

Then when it comes to selling Travis they'll probably insist on money straight away but do a discount.

[RoversClitheroe]

It's absolutely not costing us £1.7m hahaha.

£250k + add ons I bet.

[Emerald Isle Rover]

4 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

It's absolutely not costing us £1.7m hahaha.

£250k + add ons I bet.

A player with 2 years left on his contract itl will cost most than that upfront 

[DutchRover]

Again smacks of a lack of ambition, we've gone from De Keersmaecker one of the best midfielders in the Dutch League outside the big 3 teams, to a young Leicester reject who did not even play half the minutes for a mediocre team in the Portuguese League.

Assume his time in Leicester academy makes him easier to register somehow.

[Emerald Isle Rover]

1 minute ago, DutchRover said:

Again smacks of a lack of ambition, we've gone from De Keersmaecker one of the best midfielders in the Dutch League outside the big 3 teams, to a young Leicester reject who did not even play half the minutes for a mediocre team in the Portuguese League.

Assume his time in Leicester academy makes him easier to register somehow.

Ask yourself the question do you genuinely think de keersmaeker was a realistic target?

 

[DutchRover]

3 minutes ago, Emerald Isle Rover said:

Ask yourself the question do you genuinely think de keersmaeker was a realistic target?

 

Even for us he should have been

 

[BankEnd Rover]

I'm intrigued by Taveres. Somewhat a player in his early career was destined for the big stage with Barcelona tracking him. Seems to of then disappeared and ended up at a poor Portuguese side. 

Has all the features to be an Nzonzi type signing. Didn't we sign him for a similar fee, if not less? Look how he turned out.

It will be good to get some height in the centre of the pitch, especially when Tronstad and Travis are small. He looks like he carries the ball quite well which will benefit us on the counter.

Ive got a good feeling about this Mon. 

[RoversClitheroe]

People comparing him to Nzonzi is wide of the mark.

He's not particularly strong on the ball, and not much of a tackler.

Much more a flairy player and good passer of the ball.

[RoversClitheroe]

Anyone able to post the LT article? I'm stuck behind pay wall even though incognito etc?

Are we close to any other signings?

[KentExile]

11 minutes ago, DutchRover said:

Assume his time in Leicester academy makes him easier to register somehow.

Looks like he was on the books at Leicester for 11 years from the age of 9, so would assume he holds British citizenship/passport/something similar

 

Edited 4 hours ago by KentExile

[Emerald Isle Rover]

5 minutes ago, DutchRover said:

Even for us he should have been

 

That’s not what I asked 

[rob_of_the_rovers]

Uh-oh

[KentExile]

2 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

Anyone able to post the LT article? I'm stuck behind pay wall even though incognito etc?

Are we close to any other signings?

 

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25253573.blackburn-rovers-transfer-latest-ahead-second-summer-deal/

Blackburn Rovers are closing in on their second summer signing after agreeing a deal to sign Portuguese midfielder Sidnei Tavares.

 

Valerien Ismael's side return for pre-season on Monday and the recruitment drive is stepping up at Ewood Park to bolster his squad.

Having added Dion De Neve earlier this month and extending Adam Forshaw's contract for another season, Tavares will be their next addition.

Rovers always wanted to add another midfielder, with a box-to-box, athletic profile desired by Ismael. Tavares, 23, looks to fit the bill.

A deal, reported to be around £2million, has been struck with Primeira Liga side Moreirense. The former Leicester City man will fly over for a medical to sign a long-term contract at Ewood Park.

Tavares made 29 appearances for Moreirense last season in the top flight of Portuguese football. To lure him to The Championship seems to be a coup given his standing.

The 23-year-old has experience in England, after coming through the ranks at Leicester City. He made two appearances for the senior team before moving to Porto in 2021, predominantly playing for their B team.

After a loan at Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer, this has been his breakthrough season after signing for Moreirense last summer. 

He has played predominantly as a holding midfielder, which will give Rovers another strong option alongside Sondre Tronstad and Lewis Travis.

Whilst there is speculation around the long-term future of the midfield pair, with one year left on their deals, Rovers always wanted to add another midfielder on top of their options. They are seen as a key part of Ismael's squad and the club want to keep them.

However, until either or both sign new deals, there will be doubts as to whether Tavares is a replacement. With Forshaw also recruited, they now have six options in central midfield.

John Buckley was out of favour at the end of last season whilst Jake Garrett's loans at Bristol Rovers and Tranmere Rovers didn't set the world alight. Joe Rankin-Costello can also play that role but struggled for minutes under Ismael too.

It feels likely that Rovers will look to offload those that may not feature heavily in that position, whether that's via a loan or permanent exit.

Forshaw's return will offer the squad some much-needed experience, with Danny Batth and Andi Weimann not signed up to new deals. Both are still anticipated to join Derby County, which would leave a hole in the squad.

Rovers haven't made any progress on advancing a deal for centre-back targets Modibo Sagnan or Mickael Nade. Rovers were hopeful of securing the former several weeks ago but the transfer has not progressed as they'd hoped with the player keen to see if Premier League interest emerges.

Legia Warsaw’s Steve Kapuadi is another name on their shortlist but any deal has not gone beyond the interest stage. The same for winger Casper Terho, who has been linked in overseas media this week.

[TommyRovers]

Think it’s a decent pick up in all honesty. Unless he’s a replacement for either Tronstad or Travis.

I can stomach Forshaw as a bit part player, he’s nowhere near as bad as people claim. 

[DutchRover]

If Forshaw is the sorta player-coach 5th choice CM then the signing is ok, if he is 3rd choice then it is a problem. I'm worried because we haven't renewed Trav or Tronstad and we still seem likely to get rid of Buckley and JRC.

[MarkBRFC]

Think in an ideal world you need 5 central midfielders.

Trav, Tronstad, Big Sid, Montgomery and Forshaw seems a sensible balance, 3 starters that will be rotated to suit, a young lad coming through and an experienced head for when times need it.

I still expect Trav or Tronstad to leave, I think Trav goes this window and Tronstad leaves on a free next summer.

[Inferi]

Never heard about Tavares before. Went on youtube and watched the highlights from his debut for Colorado Rapids against LAFC. He is number 10 in the video. I know it's just one video but he looks lazy and disinterested. Is he really a defensive midfielder?