Blackburn Rovers have a big Lewis Travis problem - the Venky's may need to make an unpopular decision | OneFootball

With a year left on Lewis Travis's deal, an exit this summer may be Blackburn's best option to avoid another free-transfer loss.

Lewis Travis has been exceptional for Blackburn Rovers since joining the club in 2014.

However, the midfielder has been subject to speculation throughout the ongoing summer, with a fresh start and a new challenge being mentioned as something that the club captain could be eyeing.

Recently, Football League World exclusively revealed that a chance for Derby County to sign the midfielder had opened up after a move to Wrexham collapsed.

After making over 260 appearances for the club, Rovers are faced with an extremely tough scenario.

With a year left on his current deal, and no indication that a new one is on the cards, the Venky's may have to make the unpopular decision and help Travis find a move this summer, with Blackburn desperate to avoid a situation similar to that of the talismanic Ben Brereton-Diaz and, more recently, Tyrhys Dolan.

Lewis Travis has been a fantastic Blackburn servant

The former Liverpool academy graduate made the switch to Blackburn, and has since made over 260 appearances. He was appointed captain by Jon Dahl Tomasson in 2022, and he is a figure that Rovers will be keen to keep at the club.

Throughout his time at Ewood Park, Travis has continued to grow in importance. He made 26 Championship appearances in the 2018/19 campaign following Blackburn's ascent back to the second tier.

This was followed by 43 in 2019/20, as Rovers finished 11th in the standings, just seven points away from the play-offs.

However, since reclaiming their Championship place, the club has failed to sustain a promotion push for an entire season, with narrowly missing out on the play-offs in 2022/23 and 2024/25 being the only notable instances that Rovers can point to.

A more than capable operator at Championship level, the testament to Travis's ability is the fact that he has continued to start and thrive under multiple managerial reins.

He spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Ipswich Town, making nine appearances for the Tractor Boys as they were promoted to the Premier League.

Having already tasted the top level of the Championship, and Blackburn nowhere near expected to be in the thick of things, a fresh challenge may be something that Travis is seriously considering, with the 27-year-old now in the prime years of his career.

Blackburn may have to make an uncomfortable and unpopular decision

Rovers have found themselves in similar situations before.

In 2023, Ben Brereton-Diaz left the club on a free transfer after scoring a combined 36 Championship goals across his final two seasons at the club. However, the year prior, Blackburn turned down a £10 million offer from French outfit Nice, leaving the club with unfortunate regret as the Chilean international joined up with La Liga side Villarreal just 12 months later.

More recently, Tyrhys Dolan left the club just a month ago, yet again on a free transfer. The winger also moved to Spain, joining Espanyol after seven goals and six assists in the Championship for Rovers last term.

This is a situation that Rovers will be desperate to avoid with Travis. The signs are there that the club are learning, after selling right-back Callum Brittain to Middlesbrough after attempts to hand the 27-year-old a new deal were rebuffed.

Travis, though, is a completely different prospect. The captain is the closest thing to a modern-day Rovers icon as you can get, and his performances and particularly his reliability, are something that the club will be desperate not to lose.

The unfortunate thing, however, is that if a fresh start is in order for the midfielder, this summer may be the best time to make that happen.

Added monetary value could prove vital for a club that has often had to work in the free transfer and loan market in recent seasons, and generally be prudent with their business. And after losing key figures for absolutely nothing very recently, Rovers may be keen to recoup at least some of the valuation of their departing players.

It would be an uncomfortable decision to make, and it could be an unpopular one. However, if a new challenge is right for Travis, the Venky's may need to aid him in bringing this to fruition sooner rather than later.