Swift has scored 8 goals for Reading who are down the bottom of the league. He'd chip in more than the odd goal. Top of the assist table and a good passer. He'll be in the PL next season.

I'd pay £5m for him but would FFP not get in the way of that? I still think we'll end up getting Giles and a loanee midfielder. I can't see Rovers pulling a massive signing out of the bag. Stupid though because with the right players they could smash the rest of the season. Our defence is solid, we need someone to bang in more goals from midfield and Swifts passing is second to none. Imagine Giles, Swift and a forward coming in. We'd smash it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/championship/top-scorers/assists Top player but Reading will never sell their best player when they are in a relegation battle. They'd probably be asking £5m.

That's true but he's not irreplaceable. Hearing some people talk you'd think he was Shearer. He's not the focal point of the team and for all his gliding he's still not the best midfielder in the league. Going off the stats, Buckley isn't far behind him and I'd put Buckley ahead in terms of passing and potential. The biggest disappointment is that £3m is a miniscule fee.

Where did I say he's shit? I just don't think we're reliant on him as some think we are, considering he can spend 80 minutes of a match jogging about, then go on a few mazy runs that lead to sweet fuck all.

Really? I can think of 3 players off the top of my head I'd rather have on the team sheet. Kaminski Wharton Lenihan Van Hecke Travis Buckley Brereton Diaz (preferably Diaz) He wouldn't be in my top 5.

After watching Rothwell for some time I just don't see him as a guarantee of them going up. Bournemouth are playing awfully at the moment and Rothwell only plays when the rest of the team's doing well. I always saw Rothwell as a luxury player who comes up with the occasional bit of magic from time to time. For £3m though, a bargain for them. Hopefully he won't be the catalyst they need. I still think QPR are the main rivals to second place. And I don't think Rovers are that reliant on him, we've missed Pickering more than Rothwell. Edit: they've also got Scott Parker as manager who is a clueless nob.

I think the Rothwell money will cover that now and the previous money will mysteriously disappear as quickly as you can say, Adam Armstrong cost £15m.

I'd love to get a good solid midfielder but I think we'll end up with a loanee. As I've said earlier, I'd buy someone like Swift who would bring more goals and assists, and a better passer too. Let Buckley have Rothwell's role.

I'm predicting 2 players - one who will be decent like Giles, and a young loanee who we've never heard of. And I reckon we'd have signed them even without Rothwell leaving.

I'm excited to see him keep giving the ball away for Bournemouth.

How often does he do it?

Left wing back.

Yep, he can dribble the ball right into defenders legs and be a greedy/lazy bastard for them instead, with the odd glimpse of quality every couple of games.

If true the guy isn't on this planet. Our closest promotion rival with less than 48 hours to go.

The thing with Rothwell is, he looks good on highlight reels but how many times does he overdo it and lose the ball. The lad has a lot of flair on his day but he's also a source of frustration at times. The thing that makes me annoyed about him is how he's left it so late to decide he can't play for the club any more leaving us next to no time to bring someone else in. There are better players out there, perhaps not with the trickery of Rothwell but could do the same job whilst not being so frustrating.

I expect he'll end up at a PL team next season. We won't get him as Reading aren't going to give up their best player in January. They'll be asking £5m+. If we could get him I'd gladly carry his bags.

I'd love Swift here but he hasn't been linked. I think the only clubs that are reported to have shown an interest are from the PL. Maybe Reading have got a daft price tag on him but if we got rid of Rothwell I'd throw a wad of money at someone like Swift and tell him, get us into the Premier League. Buying a more exciting player would be a real statement. But we need a striker too. It's dreamland I know, but imagine if we managed to get a midfielder and a forward who guaranteed a hatful of goals.

He plays on the right wing so hopefully that will mean Gallagher doesn't get played there any more. Looking at his stats he scored 9 in 32 games last season and 5 in 22 this season. Up to then he wasn't hitting the net much. Hopefully we're getting him as he's hitting his prime.

Last I read was that Birmingham offered £1.5m but the player didn't want to go and Bournemouth wouldn't pay that much. And Rovers were looking to make a last ditch effort to sign him.

Exactly this. There's no way Rothwell is here on 1st Feb and Mowbray already knows who he wants.

I don't see anyone suggesting he would cause us to lose out on promotion, but it doesn't fecking help does it. And not just because of his ability on the pitch but also in terms of the team spirit when everyone needs to be pulling together. Also where has anyone said he's not good enough? He's inconsistent and drifts in and out of games but on his day he can be world class.

Could he be the false 9 Tony is looking for? For anyone shaking their head, I know full well that Reading probably wouldn't part with their best player in the last 48 hours of the transfer window.

True, but if Rothwell went for a decent fee it'd be great if we could get some quality in to get us over the line. The Rothwell money may end up being the difference if we can attract some special last minute signings.

Swift at Reading is the best CM in the league but whether we'd be able to afford him is another matter. I was surprised to see Reading fans saying he could go for as little as £2m. He's their top scorer and tops the assist chart for the championship. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/championship/top-scorers/assists