It would appear that AFC Bournemouth have potentially won the race to sign Joe Rothwell, who will be a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Blackburn Rovers.
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.
However, just six months later, it would appear that AFC Bournemouth head coach Scott Parker will now sign his target on a free transfer according to Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam.
Bournemouth are close to agreeing a deal with former Blackburn midfielder Joe Rothwell.
Bournemouth tried to sign Rothwell in January and have liked the player for some time.
Rothwell is a free agent, having spent 4 years at Blackburn.
— Mark McAdam (@markmcadamtv) June 15, 2022
Rothwell is a 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.
He 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.
Despite the Cherries long-term interest in Rothwell, it wasn’t clear if AFC Bournemouth would win the battle for his signature with reported interest coming from fellow promoted sides Fulham and Nottingham Forest according to Football Insider.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE! 🚨
– Bournemouth are in advanced talks to sign Blackburn Rovers midfielder Joe Rothwell on a free transfer. ✍️
– They are in pole position to land the midfielder ahead of Nottingham Forest and Fulham. 🤝
– https://t.co/OUPHc5300l#nffc #afcb #brfc #FulhamFC pic.twitter.com/9nCgjLfVmL
— Football Insider (@footyinsider247) June 14, 2022
But it would appear that the Cherries patience has been rewarded.
BREAKING: Bournemouth are close to agreeing a deal to sign former Blackburn midfielder Joe Rothwell. 🍒✍️ pic.twitter.com/LsgDPxxiwE
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 15, 2022
Your say…
BFC1 wrote…
There’s enough to suggest this guy has something about him and on a free I think it would be worth seeing if he can translate that to the PL. We need to improve the squad as well as the team and he’s got more to offer than Pearson and Kilkenny (at this moment). There was a time our recruitment was a bit hit and miss but the recruitment team have a pretty good record over the past few years. I trust them and their judgement. – Join the conversation, click here.
