Here is a round-up of Rovers-related news.

 

HYAM CALL-UP

Dom Hyam has been named in the Scotland squad for their European Championships double-header next month.

Rovers’ player of the season has been called up by Steve Clarke for games against Norway (June 17) and Georgia (June 20) next month.

Hyam was a late addition to the squad for the games in March having initially been named on the standby list.

His second call-up sees him in from the start, and hoping to win his first cap at senior level.

There will be no shortage of competition however, with 11 of the 26 players called up by Scotland being defenders.

Hyam enjoyed a fine first season at Ewood Park following his £1.75m move from Coventry City last summer.

The 27-year-old was named as player, and players’ player, of the season at the end of season awards, and was a virtual ever present, featuring in 43 matches.

Scotland enjoyed a perfect start to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, beating Cyprus and Spain without conceding a goal.

 

AGENT TALK

The biggest transfer news surrounding Rovers this summer could well come from a player who hasn’t played for them since 2019.

It concerns the sell-on clause in the deal that saw David Raya go to Brentford for an initial £3m.

Bonuses, such as an international call-up for Spain and promotion for the Bees, have since been triggered, while the deal also included a sell-on clause.

That is a chunk of any profit on the deal, understood to be 12.5 per cent.

Raya is into the last year of his contract and is expected to leave, with Brentford having signed a new goalkeeper earlier today.

However, the Bees are said to be holding out for £40m to which Raya’s camp have responded by saying they would be happy to see out his contract and leave on a free transfer next summer.

His agent Jaume Munell told Fabrizio Romano: “If Brentford does not lower the price tag for David Raya this summer, we’ll be ready to leave as free agent in one year”. Raya and his camp expect clarity over future after Brentford signed Flekken but still ask for £40m.”

Both are trying to hold firm in the battle, but a compromise is to be expected which would bring the two parties towards a positive conclusion.

 

ON THE ROAD

Rovers supporters face the prospect of clocking up 7,000 miles should they travel to all 23 away league games next season.

Promotions and relegations at haven't been kind to travelling supporters, with Burnley, Blackpool and Wigan Athletic all departing the division.

Southampton's relegation from the Premier League will add a 500-mile round trip to the list of journeys, with the Championship also welcoming the arrivals of promoted duo Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town.

The trio to Devon to take on Argyle will the longest away journey of the season, a mammoth 614-mile round trip from Ewood Park to Home Park.

The average round trip is 300 miles, with 6,917 the overall total, following the confirmation of the 2023/24 Championship line-up.

The shortest will be the 21 miles to and from Preston North End, with Huddersfield Town (88 miles) the only other below the 100-mile mark.

 

 

EX-ROVERS RELEASED

Ryan Nyambe has been released by Wigan Athletic only a year after making the move to the DW Stadium.

Latics were dogged by financial problems during the 2022/23 season, hit with two separate three-point deductions for failure to pay wages, while they will start the 2023/24 campaign on minus eight points.

That will be in League One after they finished bottom of the Championship after promotion 12 months earlier.

Nyambe turned down the offer of a new deal at Ewood Park and was snapped up as a free agent by Wigan last August.

That was on a 12-month deal, though the club did have the option to extend that by a year should he wish.

The 25-year-old played 33 times for Wigan, although in neither game against Rovers, with 28 league starts in all.

However, it has been confirmed that Wigan won’t be taking up the option in his contract leaving the Namibia international searching for a new club for the second successive summer.

Meanwhile, former Rovers captain Elliott Bennett is also looking for a new club following his departure from Shrewsbury Town.

The 34-year-old played 83 times during his two-season stay with his hometown club.

Bradley Johnson has also been released by MK Dons following their relegation to League Two.

The 36-year-old, who had a spell as interim manager, played 45 times following his release by Rovers last summer.

 

LATIBEAUDIERE LINK

Rovers are understood to have been offered the chance to sign Joel Latibeaudiere.

The 23-year-old defender is a free agent after his three-year stay at Swansea City came to an end.

Latibeaudiere clocked up 79 appearances for the Swans in that time, but e has turned down the offer of a new contract at the Liberty Stadium.

He has now been offered to a number of Championship clubs in the market for defenders, of which Rovers are one, while the former Manchester City youngster has also played at right back and wing back so would offer versatility across the backline, as well as being adept at a possession-based approach.