Rovers are embargo free, without any restrictions on signing players, or agreeing contract extensions.

That has been the case since it was lifted on July 7, that confirmed by the EFL who last month agreed to publish the names of clubs who are currently subject to an embargo, having previously chosen not to comment publicly on any cases.

Despite that, Rovers are still waiting to make their first signing of the close season, with the upcoming Championship campaign fast approaching.

Rovers have seen 11 players depart since the end of last season, six out-of-contract and five loanees, easing the pressure on a wage to turnover ratio that was at 189 per cent for the 2019/20 season, but leaving them with a paper-thin squad.

They now find themselves in a position with not only a shortage of options, many of their assets, including star striker Adam Armstrong, are into the final year of their contracts.

 

WHY WERE ROVERS PLACED UNDER AN EMBARGO?

The EFL had placed Rovers under a Profit & Sustainability embargo following the submission of their financial forecast in March. The financial results were then tracked against that forecast and until those were met, the club were subject to an embargo.

In essence, Rovers had to prove the projections that would see them fall within the P&S framework worked in reality.

The club took advantage of a three-month Government-agreed extension to accounting dates to submit their figures for the year to June 30 2020. Those showed losses of £21.9m for the 2019/20 season, a rise of £3.7m for the previous year.

The Rovers accounts were signed off in December 2020 for the year to March 2020, but weren’t made available on the Companies House website until July.

Clubs can be placed under an embargo, and sanctioned, for late filing of their accounts, as Derby County have been, but Rovers’ accounts had been with the EFL since March, and their publication in early July was due to a backlog on the Government system.

WHAT DID THE EMBARGO PREVENT THEM FROM DOING?

Boss Tony Mowbray said the embargo was the reason behind a slow start to the summer, with no new signings made, revealing that targets had since taken advantage of offers elsewhere.

The embargo prevents clubs from making any signings above an agreed wage limit, understood to be around £12,000 a week, or from paying transfer fees for any player.

However, sides under an embargo are also restricted as to the number of players that can be registered, with no more than 23 of ‘professional standing’ permitted, a more stringent criteria.

A player of ‘professional standing’ is one who has made a first-team appearance, in any first-team competition, meaning Luke Brennan’s substitute appearance against Nottingham Forest would have seen him included in the figure, with other youngsters such as Tyler Magloire and Jack Vale also counting towards the total.

As such, Rovers exceeded that limit.

Clubs under an embargo can continue to register academy players and scholars, with Rovers having announced new deals for a host of young professionals, such as Sam Barnes, Louie Annesley, Dan Pike and Sam Burns, as well as adding 10 scholars to their books.

New contracts can also be agreed with senior players, so long as that is done in conjunction with the league, with Harry Chapman the most recent example of that. However, a hold-up with registering a new deal for goalkeeper Joe Hilton meant there was a delay to his move to Hamilton Academical which eventually went through last month.

HOW DID ROVERS BECAME EMBARGO FREE?

The financial projections submitted by Rovers to the EFL in March were met, which meant the club had fallen with the Profit and Sustainability regulations.

The embargo was lifted on July 7, the first day in which the EFL made the list of clubs under embargo public.

With the accounts published, the club working within P&S regulations, that meant Rovers were free of any possible sanction, but not until two months after the end of the 2020/21 Championship season and a month out from the upcoming campaign.

HOW HAVE OTHER CLUBS BEEN AFFECTED?

Despite their losses, Rovers are working free of any restrictions in their bid to add to the squad, but three other sides in the division are.

Reading, for breach of Profit and Sustainability rules, Hull City, for conditions under monitored loan agreement, and Derby County, for four separate breaches of EFL rules, are the Championship sides currently under an embargo.

The Rams had their embargo relaxed yesterday, allowing them to sign five players ahead of the new season. They named only nine senior players, and six non-contract players, in their squad for the weekend friendly with Manchester United.