Tony Mowbray is looking to strengthen the spine of Rovers’ side this summer – and will head back to Europe to cast his eye over identified targets again this weekend.

Mowbray spent two days in Europe earlier this week, with head of recruitment Stuart Harvey and assistant Mark Venus also spending time overseas scouting.

The Rovers boss has worked hard to improve the club’s recruitment and scouting department since taking charge and hopes fans will be able to see the benefit of that this summer.

Mowbray is looking to add in most areas, with a goalkeeper, central defender, central midfielder and striker among those on his list of targets this summer as he looks for Rovers to close the gap to the top six next season.

“We want to strengthen the spine of our team and create competition across our team,” Mowbray said.

“I’m very conscious that this team have done very well for two years but no team can stand still.

“My staff have gone again and I will be travelling over to the continent after our game on Saturday.

“It’s at that stage of the season, we’re all hands to the pump. The targets we’ve been assessing and watching for months now, this is the opportunity to go and watch them live.

“In an ideal world if you’re going to sign them you need to have watched them, what are they doing when the camera is not on them?

“We’re all travelling to look at the targets and give our staff opinions on whether these are players we want to spend money on and add to our group.

“These are important decisions for us to make.

“When we identify a player we then have to see if the financials are right, do they do want to come to this country, do they want to play in the Championship, or do they see themselves are Premier League superstars?

“Until you dig under the surface you don’t know.”

Mowbray has stayed loyal to the players who helped Rovers to promotion last season, making eight signings last summer who have had differing levels of impact.

The boss will head to Pune to meet with owners Venky’s once the season is finished to discuss the playing budget for next season.

A focus on Europe will be a stark change to Rovers’ previous recruitment policy, but Mowbray sees both value, and quality, across the continent.

He added; “I think both. You look in our division and Norwich, the prime example, players we might not have heard of but there they are.

“They are amazing footballers that have come from nowhere. You look at Brentford and the players they have got, (Said) Benrahma, (Neal) Maupay, you have to go and look and try and pluck players.

“It might take time for them to bed in, but that’s what we’re trying to do, look at markets where there is value, but quality has to be the main asset, improve our team and be better than what we’ve got.”