Rovers have completed the signing of Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite – and Tony Mowbray hasn’t ruled out another January addition at the back.

The teenager signed on loan for the remainder of the season and is set to make his debut against Stoke City this weekend with Daniel Ayala still ruled out.

Branthwaite has been on the bench for the Toffees first-team of late, and played four times in the Premier League last season following his move from Carlisle United last January.

Rovers remain in the market for another centre half, with Derrick Williams and Scott Wharton set to miss the second half of the season, leaving Mowbray short of options at the back.

And another loan signing, which would take Rovers to five, the most allowed in a matchday squad, isn’t being ruled out.

“At this moment we’re three centre halves down and there’s a fair chance,” Mowbray said when asked about any further January business.

“We’re working hard behind the scenes and let’s wait and see.”

Branthwaite is highly-regarded at his parent club, the 18-year-old featuring in four of Everton’s final nine games of last season, and was on the bench for their most recent four games prior to the midweek win at Wolves.

Carlo Ancelotti sanctioned the move this week, happy for Branthwaite to continue his development with a loan spell at Ewood Park, the second teenage prospect Rovers have taken from a Premier League club following on from Harvey Elliott.

Tosin Adarabioyo and Harrison Reed are another players Rovers have taken on loan from top-flight clubs and Mowbray feels strong relationships are being built.

He added: “I’d like to think this is why Premier League clubs are happy for their players to come to us.

“There’s obviously financial stumbling blocks sometimes because the Premier League is so far ahead, financially, of the Championship, unless you’ve got parachute payments and been there in the last year or two.

“But this is a young guy who came from Carlisle who isn’t on a huge salary and everything seems to work for this deal.”

Rovers will look to Branthwaite to shore up a backline which prior to the win at Birmingham City on January 2, hadn’t kept a clean sheet for nine matches.

He looks set to partner captain Darragh Lenihan against the Potters in a move that will allow Bradley Johnson to move into his more natural, and favoured, central midfield role.

“I think we’ve lost some soft goals, goals we didn’t need to lose,” Mowbray said.

“I think soft goals is the best phrase to use, teams didn’t have to work too hard to score.

“As I’ve said time and time again, I think a lot of our play has been really high quality, the games we’ve lost 1-0, to create the chances we have, getting in the ball into the areas we have, if we keep doing that we’re going to score goals and going to win games.

“You can’t throw goals in at the other end like we have been doing a little bit, particularly when teams are showing us a lot of respect and put a lot of men behind the ball and making it really difficult.

“We need to stop silly goals and make teams work really hard and then I think it will be interesting to see a game where we’re not trying to scramble back to get a point or a win but we’re infront and the other team are trying to score against us and then we can breakaway.”