Rovers have concluded prolonged negotiations with Fleetwood Town over the loan move of Scottish international and one-time captain at Ewood Park, Charlie Mulgrew.
The talks, which have been going on all summer and will see the Scot stay at Highbury for the season, have had stumbling blocks because of League One’s newly introduced salary cap of £2,500 per week, have finally concluded on Deadline Day, with all three parties coming to a satisfactory conclusion.
The 34-year old, who became somewhat of a cult hero during the early part of his time at Ewood Park due to his deadly set-pieces, arrived at Ewood Park in the summer of 2016 on a free transfer from Celtic and instantly proved a hit with the fans as he gave Rovers fans one of only a handful of high-points in a disappointing 2016-17 season, as he netted the only goals as Rovers did the double over eventual champions Newcastle United, with both games ending 1-0 to the Blues.
Following Rovers’ relegation to the third tier, Mulgrew was touted with a move away from the club, but the Scotland international stayed loyal to the team and broke the club’s record for a goalscoring defender as he helped pitch in with 14 goals from centre-back, including the promotion clincher at Doncaster Rovers, as Tony Mowbray’s side made an immediate return back to the Championship.
The Blues’ return to the Championship saw Mowbray repay Mulgrew’s loyalty by extending his contract until the summer of 2021. With a new deal secured, Mulgrew continued to skipper Rovers as they returned to the Championship in 2018-19. Despite Rovers’ defensive frailties following promotion, and his own injury woes, Mulgrew remained pencilled into the team sheet at Ewood Park and proved to be a valuable attacking outlet for the side, as he again contributed with his expert set-pieces to notch 10 goals in the 29 league games he played for the Blues, including a goal directly from a corner in Rovers’ 2-1 home win, on New Year’s Day 2019, against West Bromwich Albion.
The 2019-20 season saw Mulgrew’s fortunes change, however. After struggling with injury and loss of form towards the backend of 2018-19, Mulgrew saw his role within the Rovers squad reduce, as Tony Mowbray and his coaching staff looked to move towards a different tactical approach. Although Mulgrew captained Rovers in their opening day defeat to newly promoted Charlton Athletic in August 2019, following the loan of former Manchester City defender Tosin Adarabioyo, the Scot found himself surplus to requirements at Ewood Park. The lack of light at the end of the tunnel saw Mulgrew push for a chance to play first-team football, which Wigan Athletic gave him, as he swapped Ewood Park for the DW Stadium during the Deadline Day of the 2019 summer window. Although Mulgrew helped a struggling Wigan side achieve four clean sheets in his first eight games for the club, a succession of small injuries set back his quest for first-team football, before he was dropped by Paul Cook in December 2019, following a string of poor results. That decision led to Mulgrew asking to be released from his loan contract in January 2020, which saw him return to Ewood Park for the second-half of the season, unable to re-depart on loan, due to the fact he had already played for two club in the season, which was the maximum that the registration rules allowed. After returning to Rovers, Mulgrew was forced to wait until after lockdown for what proved to be his 100th and last appearance in the Blue and White halves of Rovers, as he played the full 90 minutes in Rovers’ 2-0 defeat away at Barnsley.
With his future put into even further doubt with the acquisition of Daniel Ayala, Mulgrew – who departs the club having contributed a hefty 27 goals from centre-back – now joins a Fleetwood Town side, who came agonisingly close to making it to Wembley for the League One playoff final, last season, with Joey Barton’s Cod Army losing in the semi-final against eventual champions, Wycombe Wanderers. Given that his Rovers contract is set to expire on the same day as his loan contract, it is unlikely that Blues fans will see Mulgrew back at Ewood Park in the halves of Rovers, given Mowbray’s decision to change his defence.
Regardless of whether Mulgrew makes a miraculous return to Ewood Park or eventually moves to pastures new, the Scot – regardless of his recent frustrations on Social Media – departs the club with the best wishes of his colleagues and most of the fan base.
We would also like to wish the Scot the best of luck for the upcoming season and for the future, but for good measure, here’s Charlie’s finest moment in a Rovers shirt! – (Video courtesy of Rovers and their media team).
