With Tony Mowbray publicly calling for some additions to his defensive department, Rovers have added highly-rated defender, Tosin Adarabioyo to their ranks, on a season-long loan deal from Premier League Champions, Manchester City.
The 6’5” ball-playing centre-back arrives to Rovers as their second loan signing of the window, with some Championship pedigree under his belt having featured 36 times for West Bromwich Albion in all competitions during the 2018-19 season, as the Baggies stormed to the Championship playoffs, falling short to eventual winners Aston Villa.
After joining Manchester City’s youth academy at the age of 5, Adarabioyo survived the 2008 takeover in order to cement his place within City’s academy, captaining the Citizen’s under 18s side at the age of 16. With his impressive youth team exploits alerting the radar of then-first-team manager Manuel Pellegrini, the centre-back made his first-team debut as a substitute, against Steaua Bucharest in the 2015-16 Champions League playoffs, before being rewarded with his first start for the Sky Blues against Chelsea in the 2016 FA Cup.
Whilst the 21-year old has played the majority of his youth career as a centre-back, his athletic capabilities and strength on the ball saw him utilised as a full-back for a lengthy period of his spell at the Baggies, last campaign, a potential move that could suit Rovers, with little natural cover available for Ryan Nyambe, on the right-hand side.
In addition to his mesmerising frame which would make him ideal for set-pieces at either end of the pitch, the athletic defender also possesses some attractive physical attributes, which Tony Mowbray would have no doubt been prioritising, in order to add some pace to his defence.
Despite still being 21, Adarabioyo’s invaluable experience in a Championship playoff-achieving team last season, places him above the likes of Tyler Magloire and Joe Grayson, on the defensive pecking order, despite calls from the fans to include more in-house youth prospects within the first-team picture. However, with Tony Mowbray firmly setting his eyes upon a finish in the playoff positions, Adarabioyo’s knowledge of that situation may prove the difference, in comparison to the youth within the club.
Adarabioyo becomes Rovers’ fifth incoming of the window, following the permanent captures of Stewart Downing, Bradley Johnson and Sam Gallagher and the loan signing of goalkeeper, Christian Walton, earlier on in the summer.
Once the towering defender settled into his surroundings, the club media team acted swiftly to gauge the 21-year old’s reaction to the move;
“The deal has taken a while to complete, but I’m delighted that it’s finally been concluded. The games I played against the club last year, whilst at West Brom, were games that stood out in my memory, as they were extremely tough games, one of which we lost. The way Tony Mowbray is eyeing to play this season is one factor that attracted me to agreeing to the deal and I’m excited to meet the lads and get started.
“I think, playing in the Championship last year for West Brom helped me a lot, not only with getting to grips with how the Championship is, but it also improved me personally as a player, as I was able to play twice a week, at times, which abled me to build on some consistent performances, as well as learn from the experience that was at the club, including the gaffer at the time, Darren Moore.
“This time around, I don’t need to get used to the league, as I’ve already spent a full season in it, meaning I can just go straight in and show everyone what I can do. Hopefully, I can use this loan spell to play consistently every week and show everyone, both here and at Manchester City, what I can do.
“My goal for this season is to try and play in every game, and do as well as I can, in order to cement myself into the side and push on, for myself in terms of my career. The gaffer is targeting a top-six finish, so hopefully I can use my experiences from last season to help the team.”
