Tony Mowbray believes personal circumstances and finance are the only reason behind the expected departure of Rovers’ out-of-contract players this summer.
Mowbray feels at least two of the club’s trio of senior out-of-contract players will move on but those decisions are due to issues outside of football.
Ryan Nyambe, Darragh Lenihan and Joe Rothwell are the players in question, with no progress made on extending their deals at Ewood Park.
Yet Mowbray feels that is down to issues outside of the club’s control, with Nyambe (24), Lenihan (28) and Rothwell (27) able to leave on free transfers due to their age.
On the futures of the trio, Mowbray said: “I do have conversations with them.
“I shouldn’t talk about individuals, my own view is that certainly two of them are definitely leaving.
“I’ve tried, talked and cajoled, but I think there are family issues around people wanting to leave.”
Mowbray and chief executive Steve Waggott have stressed the club will not break their pay structure in the negotiations with the players.
The manager sympathises with the situation of them and explained: “People’s lives are changing, they’re getting older, they have more responsibilities, they need to earn money than this club can pay them and other clubs are willing to pay them.
“Why wouldn’t they go if they have no ties keeping them here?
“In football there’s an emotional tie, but in life, if someone is going to double your salary and you haven’t got kids in a school and there’s an opportunity to double your salary for doing the same job then you’d probably go as well.”
All three players have given long service to the club, Nyambe and Lenihan having come through the Rovers ranks, while Rothwell is into the fourth season at Ewood Park.
Despite the prospect of them moving on, Mowbray doesn’t question their loyalty.
“I’m very conscious about that when we talk about these out-of-contract players,” he added.
“Lenihan should have come off against Reading at half time, yet he’s out-of-contract and wanted to stay on because he’s desperate to help us try and win football matches.
“I say that about them all, Ryan Nyambe, Joe Rothwell, Lenihan, they would love nothing better than this club get promoted to the Premier League.
“It was great testament to Lenihan wanting to go out for the second half having spent the whole of half time getting massaged and rubbed because after seven games time he’s out of contract and no-one is paying him any money.
“Those are the decisions.
“I don’t hold it against them, I just ask if they don’t feel in their stomach they can give everything they have to tell me because we have other options and we’ll pick other players.
“When they tell me they’ll give me everything for each game then we’ll keep going.”
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