Blackburn Rovers' Travis tightrope as transfer clock ticks

The captain's future became a huge talking point last week after Valerien Ismael's revelation that he'd asked to leave the club to join Derby County.

What followed was a public jostling for position, with both sides keen for their side of the story to be betrayed. As reported by The Lancashire Telegraph, Travis was left hurt by the way his potential exit had been portrayed, whilst Rovers insisted they would not waver on their valuation after what they viewed as low-ball bids from Derby County.

READ MORE: Clarity on Blackburn Rovers agreement after transfer confusion

Rovers took the approach of blocking questions from the media at last Friday's press conference and then Ismael gave little away post-Birmingham by apologetically declining to answer any follow-ups on the skipper's absence from the squad.

It's little surprise then that news on Travis has been thin on the ground this week. All parties have bunkered down whilst talks continue to thrash out an exit for the 27-year-old.

The situation has been described to The Lancashire Telegraph as 'delicate' with relations strained, as previously reported. It's understood that little has changed in either party's stance.

Travis is not expected to feature against Hull City, whether a deal is agreed with the Rams before the weekend or not. As of last weekend, no agreement had been reached but negotiations were felt to be 'heading in the right direction'. Those around the deal have been far more tight-lipped this week.

Unsurprisingly, John Eustace gave very little away at his Wednesday media briefing, with the Rams first up in the Championship's Friday night slot. It will be interesting to see whether Ismael is given more leash to discuss Travis' situation when he speaks to local media on Friday before the team travel to East Yorkshire.

Rovers are walking a tightrope as they try to tread the right line with Travis. It is clear that having an unhappy player, the captain no less, is bad for morale and creates uncertainty around the team. 

However, they're also well within their rights to stick to their valuation. By most novices' verdict, an offer of £1.5million plus add-ons is not a fair sum for their star midfielder, who is 27 years old and has hundreds of Championship games of experience.

Ismael will hope this is wrapped up sooner rather than later after speaking about the 'chaos' of the last few weeks. It's clear that the disruption to the season's preparations has seeped into the mood at Ewood Park after what had been a calm summer until the end of the training camp in Spain.

There is a clear need for points on the board and movement in the transfer window to lift spirits. Whilst nobody should be overreacting to one under-cooked display and an undeserved defeat, a poor result at the weekend would pile on the pressure.

Many expect Hull City to be amongst those fighting for their Championship safety and with so much uncertainty around Blackburn, defeat would only pour fuel on the growing fire within the fan base.

Exauce Mafoumbi's departure should hopefully light the touchpaper in terms of incomings. A right-winger has long been desired and Rovers have favoured overseas markets. Freeing up an ESC slot should open up my doors.

Whilst little has become clearer this week, Rovers' need for closure is only growing.