Tony Mowbray revealed Rovers missed out on two goalkeeping targets in the summer – and admits a permanent option is on their radar for the January transfer window.

Rovers sold David Raya to tonight’s opponents Brentford for an initial £3m in July but were knocked back at a late stage by two overseas ‘keepers lined up as replacements.

Christian Walton arrived later in the window, on a season-long loan from Brighton, and has started every Championship fixture so far.

Mowbray said felt the two players identified, who instead moved back to their native countries from overseas, would have bolstered the club’s goalkeeping ranks, and been permanent additions.

“We lost a few goalies that were pretty far down the line in the negotiations, foreign goalkeepers,” said Mowbray, who is also keen to add a left back to his squad.

“Ultimately as the negotiations moved on they decided to play safe and move back home.

“A couple fell through that was disappointing, because we liked them and it would have been a decent deal with the money we got for David.

“The money we’d have paid for them, we’d have been in pocket and in our opinion improved our team.

“We would have given ourselves money to spend on another position potentially, that is what you try and do. You don’t sell for the sake of selling, you sell so you can get this player who you feel will still improve your team and probably get another player as well. That’s how it was going to work but those deals fell through pretty late.

“We were left a bit frustrated.”

Walton was one of three players brought in on loan in the summer, with No.2 Jayson Leutwiler, who started the final four matches of last season, agreeing a 12 month extension to his Ewood Park stay in the summer.

Mowbray isn’t concerning himself over the long-term future of his goalkeeping department, but says work is ongoing behind the scenes to address that when the transfer re-opens in January.

“We’re in football, I don’t sit here overly concerned about it, Christian Walton is in goal doing the job. We have Jayson Leutwiler and then young (Andrew) Fisher and Joe Hilton sitting behind. We get on with it,” he added.

“Aston Villa this time last year brought in Tyrone Mings on loan, Tammy Abraham on loan, you don’t worry, you just have footballers who go out there and try and do the job and deal with the issues when you have to.

“When you’re trying to build a club you would prefer your own signings in those positions and people who you trust and believe in.

“The grey area for the goalkeeper is that he’s not our goalkeeper and could potentially go back at any stage and get recalled. That’s a concern.

“We need to sign a goalkeeper and we’re aware of that. Let’s see what this window brings.

“We have to try and find the right one. If we sign one to create competition for our existing goalies, he would be a signed goalie that’s here for the next three or four years.

“We’re working hard behind the scenes to try and put those sort of things in place.”