Doncaster Rovers: Grant McCann's ruthless streak could see promotion-winners depart | OneFootball

Grant McCann has his eyes firmly set on the first game of next season at Doncaster Rovers.

Grant McCann has his eyes firmly set on the first game of next season, even if the finish of Doncaster Rovers’ promotion-winning campaign is closer than the beginning of August is.

Barrow central-midfielder Robbie Gotts has become the first addition of the summer for Doncaster, signing on a free transfer after a stellar campaign and a string of personal accolades to match in his final season in the North West.

That begins to bring into sharp focus a need to strengthen the Rovers squad with the jump in divisions on its way.

Grant McCann’s title-winning Doncaster Rovers

McCann fell to play-off heartache in his returning season. It was the second time that the Rovers manager had been struck by the painful blow of losing in a semi-final on penalties, as Charlton Athletic (2019) condemned the South Yorkshire outfit to the same fate that Crewe Alexandra inflicted on them more recently (2024).

However, in the minutes following the crushing defeat to Crewe, where the away side overturned a two-goal deficit to eventually bump favourites Rovers out of the running, the Doncaster boss made a bold claim. He stated that his team will be aiming for nothing less than the Sky Bet League Two crown.

And, 12 months on that was exactly what he put his hands on. Doncaster defeated rivals Bradford City on the penultimate day of the season to secure promotion on their own patch, leaving victory at Notts County the following week to tie up the league title as well.

It was quite the opposite from the year prior, with celebrations and parties aplenty around the city.

But, the hard work has by no means stopped. McCann has already said he wants to add “six or seven” players to his Doncaster squad, forgoing a summer holiday to knuckle down and do the transfer business early once again.

The early signs is that McCann is willing to be ruthless. Adding more than a handful of new faces will no doubt push others who have been regulars down the pecking order and even out of the club entirely.

Only a small number have been let go by Doncaster in the annual retained list, with that leaving no space for softness in the approach to freshening up the Rovers unit.

Injury-hit ex-Bristol Rovers man Zain Westbrooke managed just seven games in the promotion-winning season, and could find himself on the chopping block with new acquisitions beefing up the central midfield department.

Fellow midfielder Ben Close, formerly of Portsmouth, was another who found himself on the treatment table more than the pitch in the 2024/25 term. He then spent the second half of the campaign at Eastleigh in the National League with a lack of gametime in Rovers colours beforehand.

While Westbrooke and Close are two players who only played a cameo role in the title-winning charge, more frequently employed names may become surplus to requirements too.

Adding a chunk of new signings over the summer naturally means that some will have to move in the opposite direction out of football’s revolving transfer door.

It is often said that there is no room for sentiment in sport, and even if every single one of the medal-winning team that did their bit to help McCann achieve his lofty goal deserved their dues, they could be left without a spot when the start of the new season rolls around.