Over the weekend, AFC Bournemouth announced their second signing of the summer transfer window, following on in quick succession from the signing of Ryan Fredericks on a free transfer from West Ham United.
AFC Bournemouth head coach Scott Parker’s second successful acquisition of the summer was the expected signing of Joe Rothwell from Blackburn Rovers, also on a free transfer.
The 27-year-old midfielder who represented England at Under 16’s, 17’s, 19’s and 20’s having previously come through the youth academy at Manchester United has signed a four-year deal at Dean Court.
Rothwell has made 257 appearances in all competitions throughout his career, the majority of which have come in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers, where he has spent the past four seasons.
Overall he made 99 Championship starts and added a further 50 appearances as a substitute, scoring 10 goals and claiming 18 assists during that time.
Rothwell is 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nPlftTjNOl
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) June 25, 2022
The Cherries tried to sign Rothwell during the January transfer window, reportedly having three bids rejected by Blackburn.
The offers, “in excess of £2million” were deemed not “anywhere near the valuation” that his club held of him, so the Cherries waited a mere 6 months and signed him as a free agent.
AFC Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake told afcb.co.uk…
“Joe has been on our radar for a while now and we’re delighted to bring him to the club.
“Unsurprisingly, we had huge competition to sign Joe, so we’re really pleased that he has chosen AFC Bournemouth as the next step in his career.
“Joe has proven himself as an outstanding midfielder in the Championship over the past few seasons and we believe he can continue his development under head coach Scott Parker and his coaching team.
“He has superb attributes to complement our other midfield players and we’re happy to bring another exciting signing ahead of our upcoming Premier League campaign.”
Your say…
Blackburn_Fan_Rover wrote…
Hi guys, Blackburn fan in peace.
Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to see some great centre mids grace Ewood Park. In Rothwell, you’ve signed a top player.
The way he picks up the ball and drives through teams is immense. He carries the ball better than anyone I’ve seen at Ewood. You will see for yourselves but on his day there’s nobody like him, one of the most exciting players I’ve seen in Rovers shirt.
Supporters will tell you who can go missing- but who doesn’t have the odd poor game. In his early days, Mowbray only used him in cameos, citing his work rate and positioning. Very frustrating tbh as every time he came on he was massively affecting games.
He really hit his stride this year and was an integral player for us. I think the business in Jan disrupted him and de-railed our promotion hopes.
The only other player that could carry the ball like Rothwell in a Rovers shirt was Duff- but he was a winger. Rovers fans are fickle as anything. Anyone that leaves is inconsistent and will not go on to better things in their opinion. I’ve no doubt he’ll have poor games. But his good games will more than make up for it. He reminds me a bit of Hazard how he carries the ball- I’m sure you’ve watched him on Youtube.
Anyway, gutted he’s left- you’ve got a gem. Sure he’ll step up no problem- could play for England in my opinion he’s that uniquely talented. Enjoy him.
Good luck for the season guys. – Join the conversation, click here.
