Joe Rothwell speaks out after near-miss Blackburn Rovers exit

Joe Rothwell remains a Blackburn player for now – but as the transfer window came to a close, it looked less and less likely that he would remain at Ewood Park.

That was because Bournemouth launched a bid for him that ultimately saw him left out of the Rovers’ squad against Luton. With the interest rife and the Cherries eager to bring him in, it certainly felt like he was near the exit door.

However, no move ended up materialising, as Tony Mowbray was desperate to keep hold of one of his most important players. The 27-year-old has featured prominently this campaign and made 27 appearances in the Championship, bagging three goals and seven assists along the way.

For the Englishman to leave last month would have been a huge blow to Blackburn – but the player has stayed on at the club and has told the club’s official website that he is only thinking about Rovers now.

Instead of spitting his dummy out or thinking about a potential move away again, it appears as though the midfielder is now ready to try and help Blackburn achieve their goal of a promotion back to the Premier League by the end of the campaign. If he can help them achieve it, then he will certainly be viewed as a hero by the club’s supporters.

Speaking to the club website about where his focus lies, he said: “It’s been a tough couple of days for me and my family since the Luton game but the club have been terrific with me, they really helped me through the period and we’re fully focused on the next 17 games to hopefully do something really special.

“Do I regret doing what I did? Probably not. I think we went about it the right way with the gaffer and handled things in a very mature way. I sat down with the gaffer and we had a good chat, what’s done is done and