Blackburn Rovers are targeting three signings by the end of June and plan to take advantage of a new Football Association ruling. This week, Championship clubs were given the opportunity to sign up to four players who would not have qualified for work permits under Governing Body Endorsements (GBE) calculations. Gregg Broughton, Blackburn’s director of football, is keen to utilise the new rule and has stated that the additional signings will be primarily from free transfers and loan deals due to their limited budget. The club has already secured two summer signings: Niall Ennis from Plymouth Argyle and Sondre Tronstad from Vitesse Arnhem.
It is hoped that the third signing will be confirmed soon. The deal is complex, necessitating compliance with the new GBE ruling, which sits within changing Covid-19 restrictions: clubs need to ensure they are following FA guidelines, which are continuously evolving. The plan is to have at least six first-team signings this summer with Thomas Bloxham arriving on a free transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to help bolster the Under-21s ranks.
Preparations for next season start with Blackburn’s friendly game on July 8 against Accrington Stanley. The club is planning a training camp overseas, where they will play one or more fixtures before their first return match with Fleetwood Town on July 21. This will be followed by three further games against Barnsley, Stockport County, and Girona. Blackburn’s first game of the Championship season will be in August 2021.
