Three Lewis Travis replacements Blackburn Rovers should pursue after worrying transfer update

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Lewis Travis has requested to leave Blackburn Rovers this summer, seeking a reunion with his former manager John Eustace at Derby County.

This is not ideal for Valerien Ismael or Blackburn Rovers with the squad going through a revamp, as the loss of the captain will not help them in the short term for the season.

Losing another player to Derby County, having already seen Danny Batth and Andreas Weimann depart Ewood Park for Pride Park, and now their captain is a blow to the team.

The only positive from this deal will be that the club will receive a transfer fee for the deal, like they did with Callum Brittain’s decision to join Middlesbrough.

However, this loss of experience and ability in the heart of midfield is something that is not easily replaced; however, there are three options the club could look at to plug the huge hole left by Travis if he does depart this summer.

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Isaac Hayden

The defensive midfielder is now a free agent after Newcastle United agreed to release him this summer, as he was unlikely to feature for them.

Isaac Hayden did spend the second half of last season at Portsmouth, performing admirably to help the club maintain their Championship status.

He demonstrated he is clearly capable of playing at this level and has all the qualities Lewis Travis has, if not at the same level as him.

Hayden also is an experienced player in the Championship, something that the club needs at this present time, as the majority of their signings have been from markets across Europe.

Allan Campbell

The Scotland international is an option Blackburn Rovers may explore due to his experience in both the Scottish Premiership and in the EFL.

Allan Campbell has demonstrated he is a box-to-box midfielder but has the ability to operate in a defensive position.

Like Lewis Travis, he likes to get involved in the hard work in midfield; however, he is also able to progress the ball forward up the pitch, something Blackburn will lack without their captain.

Like Hayden, he is available for free, and this may be why Blackburn are exploring these options because of the financial strain the club are currently facing.

While at Luton Town, he was key in their promotion campaign to the Premier League, but following that, he was deemed surplus to requirements, playing for both Millwall and Charlton Athletic.

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Stuart Armstrong

Another Scottish international; however, this is a player who spent five seasons as a key component of Southampton’s Premier League squad before carrying on that role in the Championship for another season.

Stuart Armstrong spent the second half of last season at Sheffield Wednesday but has since left the club due to the recent events suffered by the Owls.

Armstrong began his career at Celtic and Southampton as a more advanced midfielder; however, as he aged, he slowly moved into a more defensive role in the midfield.

Blackburn may explore him as an option due to his ability and technique on the ball, along with being able to dictate the proceedings from deep.

However, his pressing, ability to win the ball in defence and natural quality to snuff out dangerous attacks.