The 4 Blackburn Rovers players set to leave as a free agent this summer
FLW looks at the four Blackburn Rovers players whose contracts are expiring in the summer.
Blackburn Rovers have endured quite a mediocre Championship campaign so far.
The Lancashire side finished level on points with the play-off places last season, but just missed out, so many Blackburn fans believed they would be able to enjoy another race for promotion this campaign. Sadly, this has been far from the case, and in fact, they find themselves at the opposite end of the spectrum, not far away from the relegation places.
Off the pitch, the club have performed fairly well. They did recently lose one of their most valuable players, 19-year-old Adam Wharton, to Crystal Palace, but the club received a healthy fee of £18 million, which could rise to £22 million.
Elsewhere, almost their entire first-team squad has contracts which will see them remain at Ewood Park until, at the very least, the end of next season. There is still some work to do though, as four current players are set to leave as free agents in the summer, including some very key names.
Tyrhys Dolan
One of Blackburn’s best pieces of business in January was actually keeping hold of one of their star players, Tyrhys Dolan. Late in the window, the 22-year-old received interest from Premier League side, Luton Town, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.
Thankfully, from a Blackburn perspective, a deal never materialised and they were able to prevent another star player from departing for the top flight. However, this will only seem worth it if the club can tie Dolan down to a new contract before he departs for free in the summer. His current contract is set to expire at the end of the season, which would be an absolute disaster for the Lancashire side.
Dolan, capable of playing on both wings or through the middle in attack, has been one of Blackburn’s key players over the last three and a half seasons in the Championship, grabbing 31 goal contributions in all competitions. This season, he has missed ten league fixtures through injury, but has still managed two goals and two assists.
The player recently returned from his injury, and now, Blackburn should make it their number one priority to sign him up for next season. Dolan’s contract has an option for a further year included, so the club will hope that the forward will stay for another campaign.
Sam Gallagher
Another player that Blackburn successfully kept hold of in January, Gallagher will become a free agent in the summer unless the club trigger a clause in his contract. His contract does include a club option for an extra year, and according to Alan Nixon, Blackburn look to be triggering that clause to prevent him leaving on a free at the end of the season.
Gallagher has missed a large portion of this campaign so far through injury, but he is now back and in the starting eleven. He has been an important forward for Blackburn since signing for a second time in 2019, so it seems a no-brainer to keep him in the squad next season.
There was plenty of interest in January, with the likes of Ipswich Town linked, so he wouldn’t be short of suitors if he did become a free agent.
John Fleck
The midfielder arrived at Ewood Park on Deadline Day as part of a free transfer, but he is set to be a free agent in the summer. Fleck signed a short-term contract that will expire at the end of the season, but Blackburn will be hoping that they can put his experience to good use for the remainder of the campaign.
