THE Ewood Park exit door has swung open so many times this summer that it must be hanging off its hinges by now.

Twelve players with first-team experience have left the club left since the end of last season leaving Gary Bowyer’s squad severely stretched.

So much so that, with Jordan Rhodes and Rudy Gestede back at Brockhall, the Rovers party that flew out to Portugal on Monday contained just 16 outfield players who have appeared at senior level.

MORE TOP STORIES:

It should not be forgotten, either, that number included Darragh Lenihan, John O’Sullivan and Connor Mahoney, who have made the grand total of seven first-team outings between them.

That’s not to say the vast majority of the 12 departees will be missed.

Leon Best, Luke Varney, Jay Spearing, Paul Taylor and Josh Morris are no better than what Rovers have got and Yann Songo’o and Paulo Jorge are nowhere near up to the standard required.

And, while no-one can question the abilities of Paul Robinson and David Dunn, the time had come for the distinguished duo to move on.

Losing Alex Baptiste, Josh King and then Tom Cairney was a blow, though.

But, with the club continuing to lose significant amounts of money, let alone the battle it faces to have its Financial Fair Play embargo lifted, there was always a danger that a player Rovers boss Bowyer did not want to leave would be sold.

That was the case with Cairney and, provided his asking price is met, it is also likely to be the case with Rudy Gestede.

But there has to be a balance and, with not a single new recruit so far this summer, that balance is not quite right.

It is going to be difficult to replace the quality of Cairney, King and Baptiste with additions from the free and loan markets.

And there is no point bringing in signings for the sake of it, especially if they end up stymieing the development of a batch of promising youngsters with the potential to make the grade.

But there are frees and loans out there out there who would improve Rovers’ ranks and crucially, having moved on so many players, the club now has the space to manoeuvre in those markets.

The centre of midfield needs strengthening – and the word is Dean Furman is impressing in training – and there is a desperate need for pace in attack.

And, with Gestede clearly wanting a Premier League move, there is no point waiting around to find his replacement.

We are assured there is a lot of work going on in the background.

And there is no question the restrictions imposed by the embargo make life difficult.

But it’s now time for the club to get some deals over the line.