3 Doncaster Rovers players facing an exit ahead of September 1st | OneFootball

Doncaster Rovers have made a heap of fresh signings this summer and exits could follow.

Doncaster Rovers have made a heap of fresh signings this summer, with the impetus now placed on who could potentially leave the club.

Grant McCann's team are building towards their return to Sky Bet League One after winning the fourth tier crown last term. Rovers have added the likes of Robbie Gotts from Barrow, Dundee United winger Glenn Middleton, and loanee Tottenham Hotspur starlet Damola Ajayi, in a busy start to the transfer window.

Over a month remains before the window shuts, with a few players potentially set for an exit. Here are three of the current Doncaster squad that could see their futures elsewhere.

3 Kyle Hurst

The first is the obvious one, with the Doncaster FreePress reporting that winger Kyle Hurst is set for either a loan or permanent transfer away from the Eco-Power Stadium.

McCann is said to be open to letting the 23-year-old either way, with "quite a bit of interest" already coming in for the former Birmingham City man.

He joined Queen's Park in Scotland for the second half of last season, while he has made close to 90 appearances in the English League Two. Across those games, Hurst has scored 12 times and assisted three further goals, while he has yet to appear as high as League One.

2 Zain Westbrooke

Doncaster have a very congested midfield. Captain Owen Bailey, who deputised at centre-back for portions of the title-winning campaign in 2024/25, sits alongside the likes of new recruits Gotts, George Broadbent, Joe Sbarra, and Harry Clifton.

That leaves the option that one of the current crop could move on. And, Westbrooke is seemingly the most likely, given his lack of appearances over recent seasons.

The other potential option for an exit is Ben Close, who was loaned out by Rovers last season, but he is perhaps more suited to playing at League One level given his technical ability.

Westbrooke played just 10 all-competition games last season surrounding injuries and only has a year left on his contract at Doncaster.

If one of the midfielders is to exit before the end of the summer transfer window, then Westbrooke's injury record, lack of gametime and contract length would indicate that he is the potential candidate. Should Rovers continue to dip into the market and add another central midfield operator, then there will be no doubting a player like Westbrooke could be on the chopping block.

1 Joe Ironside

Finally, Joe Ironside would not be a shock exitee this summer after the signing of new attacking players, including striker Brandon Hanlan.

The 31-year-old, who joined from Cambridge United in 2023, shone in his debut campaign before being left by the wayside last term. He scored 24 goals across all competitions in the 2024/24 season, including 20 in a League Two campaign that saw Doncaster gatecrash the play-offs with a late surge up the table.

However, he added just six goals in the most recent season.

Ironside saw his gametime dramatically cut after veteran Billy Sharp returned to the club and Lincoln City attacker Rob Street joined on loan in January. He started just 17 games in the league, being substituted in a further 22 times.

Therefore, it would not be a surprise if he left before the end of the summer transfer window as he would surely be keen to secure consistent minutes during the upcoming term. With Sharp re-signed for another season and the addition of former Wycombe Wanderers striker Brandon Hanlan, who has hit the ground running in pre-season, Ironside is third in the pecking order.

There is no doubting Ironside's ability both in front of goal and off-the-ball, but at the end of the day all footballers want to play as many games as possible and Doncaster may not afford him a lot.