[themaclad]

Blackburn Rovers midfielder Isaac Whitehall has signed a new one-year contract at Ewood Park.

Whitehall, 22, who has been with the club since he was 12, also has the option of a further season.

Having missed over two-and-a-half years with a foot injury, he is targeting a first-team return after appearing for the Under-21s last term.

“It’s a fresh start,” he said. “Hopefully I can get a good full pre-season, building my game time and fitness, and hopefully I can have a full season.

“I felt like I did well in the games I played towards the back end of last season. I played four 90 minutes and didn’t really feel out of place. I thought I did really well.

“So it’s just a case of keeping fit, trying not to pick up too many niggles, and keep building on everything that I’ve been doing.

“Those games last season got me back to the feeling of when I was younger, just playing football and enjoying it. I tried not to care too much about anything else, literally just being back playing is what I wanted.

“My first thought and main aim for this season is to get into the first team. But I still need game time, so it might be a case of playing games here until January, but I certainly wouldn’t be against going out on loan if the opportunity arose.

“It would mean the absolute world to me to make my first-team debut here. It would show that all the hard work and the tough times have come to something good. That is my aim.”

[themaclad]

Blackburn Rovers have signed former Everton goalkeeper Jack Barrett on a free transfer.

The 22-year-old, released by the Toffees, has been on trial at Ewood Park, and has done enough to land a one-year contract.

He was included in the squad which faced Accrington Stanley in a pre-season friendly at the weekend.

Barrett made his professional debut in May, appearing for Cavalry FC in the Canadian Premier League while on loan from Goodison Park.

He came up through the Everton academy, which he joined at nine years old, and his Blackburn deal includes the option of an extra year.

Rovers have been light in the goalkeeping department since last season's number two Leo Wahlstedt left to play for Aarhus in the Danish Superliga two weeks ago.

Barrett told the club website, external: “I was at Everton for 14 years – a long time – but I think it was the right time to move on and try something different and I feel like Blackburn Rovers is the perfect place for me to go."

[themaclad]

Blackburn Rovers have signed Senegalese striker Makhtar Gueye from Belgian club Molenbeek, Japanese forward Yuki Ohashi from Sanfrecce Hiroshima and teenage striker Exauce Mafoumbi from FC Nantes, all on three-year contracts.

Gueye, 26, moves to Ewood Park for an undisclosed fee on a contract that runs until the summer of 2027.

Ohashi, 28, also joins for an undisclosed fee, having scored 15 goals in 27 games in all competitions for J League side Sanfrecce this term.

Frenchman Mafoumbi, 19, signs his first professional deal having scored 50 goals in his past 72 games in youth football for Nantes.

The Championship club have the option to extend all three players' deals by a further 12 months.

Gueye began his career in France with Saint-Etienne and then Nancy before moving to Belgium to join KV Oostende four years ago.

The 6ft 5in striker signed for Molenbeek last summer and scored 11 goals in 32 league games as they finished bottom of the Belgian top flight and were relegated.

Ohashi, meanwhile, joined J League side Shonan Bellmare in 2018 and won the J League Cup in his first season, going on to make more than 100 appearances for the club over five years.

The pair's arrivals come as uncertainty continues to surround the future of Rovers' star forward Sammie Szmodics.

The Republic of Ireland player was the Championship's top scorer last season with 27 goals as Rovers narrowly avoided relegation and negotiations over a potential deal with Premier League newcomers Ipswich remain ongoing.

Blackburn start the new season at home to newly-promoted Derby County on

[themaclad]

Blackburn Rovers have signed former Wolves, Stoke City and Sunderland defender Danny Batth and former Bristol City striker Andi Weimann, both on one-year deals.

Batth, 33, began his career with Wolves, helping them win the League One title with a record points total in 2014 and later captained the club to the Championship title four years later.

After leaving Wanderers, he went on to have spells with Stoke City, Sunderland and Norwich City, the latter of which he helped to the Championship play-offs last term.

Weimann joins having played for West Bromwich Albion on loan last term and off the back of being part of Austria's squad at Euro 2024.

The pair are the latest arrivals at Ewood Park after Makhtar Gueye, Yuki Ohashi, Exauce Mafoumbi and Kyle McFadzean joined in the space of 24 hours.

Blackburn will begin the 2024-25 campaign at home to newly-promoted Derby County on 9 August.

[themaclad]

Blackburn have accepted an offer from Ipswich for forward Sammie Szmodics that could rise to about £11m.

The clubs have been in talks for over six weeks and have made a breakthrough after prolonged negotiations.

Ipswich had multiple bids rejected for last season's 27-goal Championship top scorer, but BBC Sport understands Szmodics is now due for a medical in Suffolk after a fee of £9m plus add-on bonuses was agreed.

Rovers had been frustrated with how long negotiations had been taking, with talks starting at the beginning of July, while Ipswich felt Blackburn's initial asking price of over £15m was too high.

But they have found a compromise and Szmodics is expected to join the new recruits at Portman Road as Ipswich prepare for a return to the Premier League.

England midfielder Kalvin Phillips is poised to join on a season-long loan from Manchester City, it was revealed on Thursday.

There will be high hopes at Ipswich that Szmodics can demonstrate his finishing prowess in the top flight.


He publicly said earlier this year he wanted to play in the top flight and now the chance should come.

The 28-year-old has three goals in two games this season after scoring in the 4-2 win over Derby before grabbing a double in the 6-1 Carabao Cup victory against Stockport on Tuesday.

A move to Suffolk also moves the Republic of Ireland international closer to home, having been born in Colchester.

He made 162 appearances, scoring 38 goals, for his hometown club and has also played for Bristol City and Peterborough.

Ipswich host Liverpool on Saturday, their first Premier League game since 2002.

[themaclad]

Blackburn Rovers have signed Liverpool left-back Owen Beck on a season-long loan.

The 22-year-old came through the Reds' academy and made his senior debut in the Carabao Cup in 2021.

He was loaned to Portuguese side Famalicão a year later before a short spell at Bolton.

Beck, who was capped by Wales at Under-21 level, then moved to Dundee for the first half of last season.

He was back at Liverpool in January and made his Premier League debut in their 4-0 win at Bournemouth, before returning to Dundee and being named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year.

Rovers have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season with two wins and a draw in the Championship.

They travel to Burnley on Saturday lunchtime.

[themaclad]

Blackburn Rovers have signed goalkeeper Balazs Toth on a three-year deal and Stoke City midfielder Lewis Baker and Brighton winger Amario Cozier-Duberry on season-long loans.

Toth, 26, joins from Hungarian side Fehervar FC for an undisclosed fee and has been included in the Hungary squad for next month's Nations League fixtures against Germany and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Former Chelsea youngster Baker made 21 appearances for the Potters last season across all competitions, scoring three goals. He signed for Rovers late on Thursday evening.

"Hopefully, I can add to the good start the club have had to the campaign. I'm excited," Baker said.

"Every time I've come to Blackburn it's been a difficult place to play and I know how it can be when it's rocking here."

Baker joined Stoke on a permanent deal from Chelsea in 2022, having had a number of loan spells in England, Germany and Turkey.

Cozier-Duberry excelled in Arsenal's youth ranks from U15 level, making his competitive debut in an EFL Trophy game as a 16-year-old.

The 19-year-old England U19 international joined Brighton in July following the expiry of his Gunners contract.

He is the latest Seagulls player to be loaned to Blackburn, who have previously borrowed Jan Paul van Hecke, Reda Khadra, Andy Moran and Yasin Ayari from Cozier-Duberry's parent club.

Forward Jack Vale, meanwhile, has returned to Motherwell on loan after spending the second half of last season in Scotland.

Rovers are next in action on Saturday when they travel to Burnley in the Championship.