2025–26 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season

Blackburn Rovers
2025–26 season
OwnerVenkys London Ltd.
CEOSteve Waggott
Head CoachValérien Ismaël
StadiumEwood Park

The 2025–26 season is the 138th season in the history of Blackburn Rovers Football Club and their eighth consecutive season in the Championship. In addition to the domestic league, the club would also participate in the FA Cup, and the EFL Cup.

Season Summary

May

On 19 May 2025, Rovers announced their retained list, The club confirmed they activated the one-year options in the contract of Ryan Hedges, Under-21s players Harrison Wood, Zack Stritch & Adam Khan have also been informed that the club has taken up the option to extend their contract by a further year. Tyrhys Dolan, Danny Batth, Andi Weimann, Jake Batty & Felix Goddard have been offered new contracts while Lorenze Mullarkey-Matthews has been offered his 1st professional contract, Dilan Markanday, Jack Vale, Zak Gilsenan, Patrick Gamble, Tom Bloxham, Jordan Eastham, Rhys Doherty, Isaac Whitehall, Jalil Saadi, Alex Baker, Adam Caddick, Paul Murphy-Worrell, Lewis Bell, Bradley Taylor, Jackson Shorrocks, Nathan Willis, Stephen Edmondson & Teddy Ramwell will not be retained by the club upon the expiration of their current agreements, the club will keep close contact with Adam Forshaw.[1]

June

On 4 June 2025, Rovers announced u21 goalkeeper Felix Goddard had signed a new 2-year contract until 2027, with the option of a further 12 months.[2]

On 19 June 2025, Rovers announced Adam Forshaw had re-joined the club on a 1 year contract.[3]

July

On 1 July 2025, Rovers announced Jake Batty had signed a new contract until 2026 with the option of a further 12 months.[4]

On 2 July 2025, Rovers announced u21 defender Lorenze Mullarkey-Matthews had signed his 1st professional contract until 2026.[5]

On 7 July 2025, Rovers announced highly regarded defender Silver Eze had signed a 2 year scholarship with the club. Rovers also announced David Odogun had joined as a scholar from Wolverhampton Wanderers.[6]

Backroom staff

As of 19 May 2025[7]

Senior football

Position Staff
Head Coach Valérien Ismaël
Head of Football Operations Rudy Gestede
Head of Recruitment
Head of Technical Adam Owen
Assistant Head Coach Dean Whitehead
First-Team Coach David Lowe
Goalkeeping Coach Ben Benson
First Team Technical Coach & Head of Player Development Damien Johnson
Lead Sports Scientist Karl Hodges
Consultant Dr. Chris Dalton
Head of Medical Services Andrew Procter
Head of Performance Analysis Adam Collins
Kit Manager Paul Schofield

Academy football

Position Staff
Head of Academy Paul Gray
Head of Academy Coaching John Prince
Under-21s Lead Coach Mike Sheron
Under-18s Lead Coach Ryan Kidd
Head of Academy Sports Science and Medical Russ Wrigley
Head of Academy Recruitment Michael Cribley
Academy Secretary Dawn Dunn

Current squad

Players and squad numbers last updated on 19 May 2025. List is representative of players who have made an appearance for the first-team this season and of information available on Rovers.co.uk.[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nat. Name Date of birth & age Year joined Contract expires Joined from Other Ref
Goalkeepers
GK Jack Barrett (2002-06-04) 4 June 2002 2024 2027 (+1) Everton Option for 12-month extension [9]
GK Aynsley Pears (1998-04-23) 23 April 1998 2020 2027 Middlesbrough [10]
GK Balázs Tóth (1997-09-04) 4 September 1997 2024 2027 Fehérvár [11]
Defenders
DF Jake Batty (2005-04-05) 5 April 2005 2021 2026 (+1) Academy Option for 12-month extension [4]
DF Callum Brittain (1998-03-12) 12 March 1998 2022 2026 Barnsley [12]
DF Hayden Carter (1999-12-17) 17 December 1999 2014 2027 Academy [13]
DF Leo Duru (2005-01-12) 12 January 2005 2015 2026 (+1) Academy Option for 12-month extension [14]
DF Dominic Hyam (1995-12-20) 20 December 1995 2022 2026 Coventry City [15]
DF Connor O'Riordan (2003-10-19) 19 October 2003 2024 2028 Crewe Alexandra On loan at Doncaster Rovers [16]
DF Harry Pickering (1998-12-29) 29 December 1998 2021 2027 (+1) Crewe Alexandra Option for 12-month extension [17]
DF Yuri Ribeiro (1997-01-24) 24 January 1997 2025 2027 (+1) Braga Option for 12-month extension [18]
DF Scott Wharton (1997-10-03) 3 October 1997 2010 2027 Academy [19]
Midfielders
MF John Buckley (1999-10-13) 13 October 1999 2006 2027 Academy [20]
MF Todd Cantwell (1998-03-27) 27 March 1998 2024 2027 Rangers [21]
MF Dion De Neve (2001-06-12) 12 June 2001 2025 2028 (+1) Kortrijk Option for 12 month extension. [22]
MF James Edmondson (2005-11-01) 1 November 2005 2011 2027 Academy [23]
MF Adam Forshaw (1991-10-08) 8 October 1991 2025 2026 Plymouth Argyle [3]
MF Jake Garrett (2003-03-10) 10 March 2003 2013 2027 Academy [24]
MF Kristi Montgomery (2004-05-31) 31 May 2004 2013 2026 (+1) Academy Option for 12-month extension [25]
MF Harley O'Grady-Macken (2004-12-09) 9 December 2004 2021 2026 (+1) Wolverhampton Wanderers Option for 12-month extension [26]
MF Joe Rankin-Costello (1999-07-26) 26 July 1999 2014 2027 Academy [27]
MF Sidnei Tavares (2001-09-29) 29 September 2001 2025 2028 Moreirense [28]
MF Lewis Travis (1997-10-16) 16 October 1997 2014 2026 Academy [29]
MF Sondre Tronstad (1995-08-26) 26 August 1995 2023 2026 Vitesse [30]
Forwards
FW Makhtar Gueye (1997-12-04) 4 December 1997 2024 2027 (+1) RWD Molenbeek Option for 12-month extension [31]
FW Ryan Hedges (1995-07-08) 8 July 1995 2022 2026 Aberdeen [32]
FW Augustus Kargbo (1999-08-24) 24 August 1999 2025 2027 Cesena [33]
FW Harry Leonard (2003-09-12) 12 September 2003 2013 2027 Academy [34]
FW Yūki Ōhashi (1996-07-27) 27 July 1996 2024 2027 (+1) Sanfrecce Hiroshima Option for 12-month extension [35]
FW Igor Tyjon (2008-03-20) 20 March 2008 2023 2026 Academy [36]

Transfers and contracts

In

Date Pos. Player From Fee Ref.
10 June 2025 LM Dion De Neve Kortrijk £800,000 [22][37]
20 June 2025 CM Sidnei Tavares Moreirense £2,000,000 [28][38]
Expenditure: £2,800,000

Out

Date Pos. Player To Fee Ref.

Loaned in

Date Pos. Player From Date until Ref.

Loaned out

Date Pos. Player To Date until Ref.
27 June 2025 CB Connor O'Riordan Doncaster Rovers 31 May 2026 [39]

Released / Out of Contract

Date Pos. Player Subsequent club Join date Ref.
30 June 2025 CB Danny Batth Derby County 1 July 2025 [40][41]
GK Jordan Eastham Ashton United [1][42]
RW Dilan Markanday Chesterfield [1][43]
CF Andreas Weimann Derby County [40][44]
AM Zak Gilsenan Grimsby Town 2 July 2025 [1][45]
CF Alex Baker [1]
RW Lewis Bell [1]
LW Tom Bloxham [1]
CM Adam Caddick [1]
CB Rhys Docherty [1]
RW Tyrhys Dolan [1]
CM Stephen Edmondson [1]
CB Patrick Gamble [1]
CM Paul Murphy-Worrell [1]
CB Teddy Ramwell [1]
DM Jalil Saadi [1]
AM Daniel Shaw [1]
CM Jackson Shorrocks [1]
CM Bradley Taylor [1]
CF Jack Vale [1]
DM Isaac Whitehall [1]
CM Nathan Willis [1]

New Contract

Date Pos. Player Contracted until Ref.
4 June 2025 GK Felix Goddard 30 June 2027[a] [2]
19 June 2025 CM Adam Forshaw 30 June 2026 [3]
1 July 2025 LB Jake Batty 30 June 2027[a] [4]
2 July 2025 CM Lorenze Mullarkey-Matthews 30 June 2026[b] [5]
  1. ^ a b Option of a further year
  2. ^ First professional contract

Pre-season and friendlies

On 23 April, Blackburn Rovers announced they would spend a week in Spain as part of their pre-season preparations, which would also includes two friendlies at the Pinatar Arena against Qatar and Elche.[46][47] Then on 3 June, the first two oppositions were added to the schedule, against Everton and Accrington Stanley.[48]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

12 July 2025 Friendly Accrington Stanley v Blackburn Rovers Accrington
15:00 BST Stadium: Crown Ground
19 July 2025 Friendly Blackburn Rovers v Everton Blackburn
15:00 BST Stadium: Ewood Park
22 July 2025 Friendly Qatar v Blackburn Rovers San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
19:00 CEST Stadium: Pinatar Arena
25 July 2025 Friendly Elche v Blackburn Rovers San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
19:00 CEST Stadium: Pinatar Arena

Competitions

EFL Championship

Main article: 2025–26 EFL Championship

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Birmingham City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Promotion to the Premier League
2 Blackburn Rovers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Bristol City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for the Championship play-offs
4 Charlton Athletic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Coventry City 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 8 August 2025. Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) Number of 12-point sending off offences; 9) Play-off (only if needed to determine promotion/relegation)[49]

Results summary

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
0 0 0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Last updated: pre-season.
Source: Soccerway

Results by round

Round1
Ground
Result
Position
Points
Source: EFL
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; P = Postponed

Matches

On 26 June, the EFL Championship fixtures were announced, with Blackburn visiting West Bromwich Albion on the opening weekend.[50]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

9 August 2025 1 West Bromwich Albion v Blackburn Rovers West Bromwich
15:00 BST Stadium: The Hawthorns
16 August 2025 2 Blackburn Rovers v Birmingham City Blackburn
15:00 BST Stadium: Ewood Park
23 August 2025 3 Hull City v Blackburn Rovers Kingston upon Hull
12:30 BST Stadium: MKM Stadium
Note: Fixture was originally scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was moved live Sky Sports broadcasting.[51]

FA Cup

Main article: 2025–26 FA Cup

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

EFL Cup

Main article: 2025–26 EFL Cup

Blackburn were drawn at home to Bradford City in the first round.[52][53]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

12 August 2025 First round Blackburn Rovers v Bradford City Blackburn
19:45 BST Stadium: Ewood Park

Statistics

Appearances

As of pre-season

Players with no appearances are not included on the list

No. Pos Nat Player Total Championship FA Cup EFL Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals

Goalscorers

As of pre-season
Rank No. Pos. Name League FA Cup EFL Cup Total
Total 0 0 0 0

Assists

As of pre-season
Rank No. Pos. Name League FA Cup EFL Cup Total
Total 0 0 0 0

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Retain List 2025". Blackburn Rovers FC. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Goddard grasps new deal". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Forshaw returns". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 12 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Jake signs new Rovers deal". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 1 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Mullarkey-Matthews pens pro deal!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Silver signs up!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 7 July 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Staff". Blackburn Rovers F.C. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  8. ^ "First Team – Rovers.co.uk". Rovers.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Barrett signs new Rovers deal". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 18 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Pears pens new deal". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Tóth time!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 30 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Rovers land great Brittain!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 21 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Carter commits!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 30 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Duru deal extended". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 13 May 2024.
  15. ^ "Hyam contract extended". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
  16. ^ "O'Riordan is a Rover". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Pickering pens new deal!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Ribeiro to remain a Rover!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 3 April 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  19. ^ "Scott signs new deal!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Buckley signs new long-term deal!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 2 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Rovers complete Cantwell capture!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Rovers conclude Dion deal". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 10 June 2025.
  23. ^ "Edmondson extends Rovers stay". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
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  27. ^ "Joe's here to stay!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Sidnei signs!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 20 June 2025.
  29. ^ "Trav signs new long-term deal!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 11 March 2022.
  30. ^ "Sondre signs!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 15 June 2023.
  31. ^ "Serving up a big Mak!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  32. ^ "Retain List 2025". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 19 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  33. ^ "Hail, Augustus!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 31 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  34. ^ "Harry's here to stay!". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 29 July 2023.
  35. ^ "Rovers secure Sanfrecce star". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  36. ^ "Tyjon signs as a scholar". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  37. ^ @RoversXtra (9 June 2025). "De Neve is set to sign a four-year contract with Blackburn Rovers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  38. ^ "Blackburn Rovers bolster squad with Sidnei Tavares transfer". Lancashire Telegraph. 20 June 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  39. ^ "Connor secures Donny switch". Blackburn Rovers Official Site. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  40. ^ a b @Rovers (1 July 2025). "Thank you to Danny Batth and Andi Weimann, who both depart after one season at the club" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 July 2025 – via Twitter.
  41. ^ "Defender Danny Batth signs for Derby County". Derby County FC. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  42. ^ "'The best keeper in the division' - Ashton United land new number one". The Northern Premier League. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  43. ^ "Markanday signature secured". Chesterfield FC. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  44. ^ "Forward Andi Weimann returns to Derby County". Derby County FC. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  45. ^ "Zak Gilsenan is a Mariner! - Grimsby Town Football Club". 2025-07-02. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
  46. ^ "Pre-season training camp confirmed". Blackburn Rovers FC. 23 April 2025. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  47. ^ "Double-header finalised for Spain trip". Blackburn Rovers FC. 7 July 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  48. ^ "Everton to visit Ewood". Blackburn Rovers FC. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  49. ^ "EFL Regulations Section 3 – The League; subsection 9 – Method of Determining League Positions". English Football League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  50. ^ "Championship 2025/26 fixtures, dates, schedule & how to watch: Birmingham vs Ipswich, Southampton vs Wrexham open new season". Sky Sports. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  51. ^ "Tigers test selected by Sky". Blackburn Rovers FC. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  52. ^ "Carabao Cup Round One confirmed". English Football League. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  53. ^ "Date confirmed for Bantams bout". Blackburn Rovers FC. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
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