GARY Bowyer says promotion remains the aim for Blackburn Rovers after being officially unveiled as boss – insisting the club does not have to sell its star players this summer.
Bowyer greeted the media at a press conference at Ewood Park yesterday after being confirmed as Rovers’ new permanent manager on a 12-month rolling deal on Friday night.
The 41-year-old helped Rovers avoid relegation to League One in his second spell as caretaker boss.
Rovers may have to reduce their wage bill as they plan for the Football League’s financial fair play regulations but Bowyer says promotion to the top flight will still be the club’s ambition next season.
“I’m not going to stand here and say I am going to deliver promotion because it’s not that it’s too early,” he said. “But you saw how much it meant to Crystal Palace and the teams that got promoted, and I was always told if you are entering something you might as well try to win it.
“We’re going to try to win as many football games as we can and hopefully that will get us up the table and in and around the play-offs, and who knows then.”
Bowyer confirmed that Chris Taylor, Alan Judge and Simon Eastwood will join Rovers this summer, as expected, and also said he had been given funds to make further additions to his squad.
Goalkeeper Eastwood has signed from Portsmouth on a two-year deal, while Judge returns to the club where he started his career on July 1 when his contract expires at Notts County on a three-year contract, while fellow midfielder Taylor will join on a two-year deal when his Millwall contract expires at the end of next month.
A number of current players have already been linked with moves away from the club, particularly top scorer Jordan Rhodes.
But Bowyer wants to keep Rhodes and revealed he has not been told he has to sell players.
He will, however, consider deals for anyone who decides they want to leave.
The likes of Scott Dann and Martin Olsson could be tempted should an opportunity arise to move back to the Premier League.
“I’ve not been told that we have to sell anybody, that’s been perfectly clear,” Bowyer said.
“I’m aware that we’re making funds available to sign people already, like we have done. We’ll be competitive in the market.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure to reduce the wage bill. Obviously with the financial fair play there’s a lot of talk about that at the moment so that’s something we have to look at, but there’s no indication to say you must reduce the wage bill by a certain amount.
“But I’m fully aware of the fact that one or two players might want to leave.
“If that’s the case then we would have to strike the best deal for the club.”
Asked if keeping Rhodes was a priority this summer, he said: “Very much so. I’m not talking about letting him go. I think the figures that people talk about, I don’t entertain it at the moment.
“He was fantastic for this football club last season and we’re wanting to build a team around him and reproduce what he did last season and be better. We’ll be setting him that target.
“He got pipped at the post by Glenn Murray as the top goalscorer in the division, and we want him to be top goalscorer next season. Hopefully that then fires us to promotion.”
Share