Rovers have added to their goalkeeping department for the third time this window, with the permanent acquisition of Middlesbrough goalkeeper Aynsley Pears on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The fee for the now-former Boro man has officially been labelled as ‘undisclosed’ but has been reported by various media outlets to be between £200,000 and £400,000.
The 22-year old, who is the son of former Middlesbrough icon Stephen Pears – who happens to be an ex-teammate of manager Tony Mowbray – arrives at Ewood Park having had a taste of Championship football last season, after former Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate gradually bled him into Boro’s struggling side, following the sale of first-team ‘keeper Darren Randolph in January 2020. Despite managing a respectable seven clean sheets in the 24 Championship games he played during the interrupted 2019-20 season, Pears has only been selected twice by new manager Neil Warnock, since the 71-year old’s appointment at the Riverside in late June. In those two appearances, both of which saw Boro continue their battle against the drop late last season, Pears conceded four goals, as Boro beat Reading 2-1 at the Madejski Stadium and lost 3-1 to Cardiff City, who at the time, were battling for a playoff spot. Despite making his breakthrough at Boro, new manager Neil Warnock was keen to add Championship experience to his goalkeeping department, which is what they did this summer, by loaning in one-time England squad member Marcus Bettinelli. The subsequent presence of the Fulham loanee and second-choice shot-stopper Dejan Stojanović saw Pears’ corridor to a first-team spot, narrow. This decision by Warnock coupled with his contractual situation which was set to expire at the end of this season, forced Pears into the decision to swap Teesside for Lancashire.
Rovers boss Tony Mowbray has hinted that this deal could potentially see Pears play second fiddle to Thomas Kaminski – who was recently recognised and called-up to the Belgium squad. This way of thinking could prove smart in the long run, especially if Kaminski’s international recognition continues, as the Belgian could potentially get injured on international duty or be held up by travel and COVID regulations. By having Pears as a young talent – in goalkeeping terms – who is familiar with the division already, available for selection, could potentially prove to be a masterstroke, if Rovers find themselves in any unusual scenarios.
Despite only being 22-years old, Pears has played over 100 games, when you combine his youth and reserve games with his senior appearances. Despite merging the two sets of games, Pears’ senior appearances as a standalone stat are also impressive for such a young shot-stopper, with his first-team tally hitting 84 games, when you combine his two loan spells and his breakthrough year at Middlesbrough last season. Speaking of his earlier career, Pears joined the Boro academy in 2007, aged nine and worked his way up the youth ranks, playing a plethora of games for Boro’s under-23s, until his first opportunity at ‘men’s football’ came about in January 2018, when the ‘keeper was still a teenager. The Durham-born ‘keeper was given an opportunity by National League North side, Darlington, as he initially joined The Quakers for a month, before impressing, leading to the Darlo management extending the initial loan until the end of their campaign. Pears’ impact on the tier 6 was instant as he kept five clean sheets in his first nine games. With Pears’ help – who played 16 games in total for the Durham-based side – Darlington managed to finish 5th in the league, yet they missed out on a playoff spot due to being banned for failing to comply with the league’s ground regulations. Although his loan spell at Darlington was successful on a personal note, the 2018-19 season proved to be even more profitable for Pears. The glovesman soon found himself on loan at National League side Gateshead in the fifth tier of the English pyramid. During his time at the International Stadium, Pears played in 45 of the 46 league fixtures whilst keeping 12 clean sheets in the process, as The Heed finished the season in the lower-half spot of 17th place, but were then relegated due to for breaching the fifth tier’s financial regulations. Despite the financial difficulties that Gateshead faced, Pears’ stint in the National League saw him depart with The Heed’s Fans’ Player and Players’ Player of the Season Awards, which summed up how profitable, not only his spell was, but how the loan system can be for a young player.
When the ‘keeper returned to Boro in the summer of 2019, he found Jonathan Woodgate at the helm. With the Boro legend willing to give local lads a chance at impressive Boro’s passionate fanbase, Pears knew that he was in with a chance of bursting into the first-team picture at the Riverside, whether that being as a first or second-choice. That dream soon became a reality for Pears as he was included on the Boro bench for the first-time in the Teesside team’s 3-3 away draw with Luton Town on the opening game of the 2019/20 season. After sitting on the bench for Boro’s opening two league games of the campaign, Pears soon made his senior debut for Boro in the Carabao Cup as the Teesside club were forced to fight back from 2-0 down to scrape a 2-2 home draw in the First Round, before going on to lost 6-4 on penalties. That setback did not deter Woodgate from trusting in his young shot-stopper, as Pears didn’t have to wait long before being handed his league debut. Given the uncertainty regarding the future of Darren Randolph, Pears’ first start for his boyhood club came in October 2019, as he managed to keep a clean sheet on his debut, as Boro and Huddersfield fought out a 0-0 draw at the John Smith’s Stadium. That impressive performance saw him keep the gloves for the next game, as the ‘keeper earnt back-to-back clean sheets from back-to-back goalless draws, with the second coming against relegated Fulham. His third game in a row saw Middlesbrough travel to Derby County. Unfortunately for Pears, however lighning couldn’t strike three times, as the Rams emerged as 2-0 victors. Those impressive displays set Pears up for an extended run in the side – after sitting out the next two games against Queens Park Rangers and Hull City, respectively – with the shot-stopper playing in the next 19 games of the season, following the Hull City tie. Despite Randolph not departing the Riverside until January, Pears proved himself to be more than capable of guarding the Boro goal, as he inherited the gloves from late October until the football’s suspension due to COVID-19, in early March. In total, from the 24 league games that Pears played in, during the prolonged 2019-20 season, the 22-year old ‘keeper earnt seven clean sheets and a save percentage of just over 29%, which are some impressive numbers, given the unpredictability of the league and the high calibre of attackers it possesses. Although some Boro fans might argue that letting Pears go was a mistake, given he was a local lad, his contractual situation, combined with the fact he was out of favour with Neil Warnock, made his stay at the club difficult and allowed Rovers to pounce on securing a deal on the cheap.
In terms of in-depth stats, Pears, throughout his 24 appearances in 2019-20 for Boro in the Championship, averaged a rating of 6.58 whilst making 63 saves behind what was a leaky defence. The ‘keeper did have more success in winning his aerial duels, as he won all but one of his 15 aerial duels, which shows the 6’1” ‘keeper’s commandeering nature when plucking the ball out of the sky under pressure. With Rovers looking to evolve their style of play into a more possession-based side, Pears’ passing statistics might require more work an integration within the squad, before it can be at a widely acceptable level. Throughout his stint in the Boro goal, Pears only succeeded with 35% of his long passes at 174/501, yet his short passes were the complete opposite, as they yielded a 99% success rate, with the 22-year old only misplacing one of his 107 short passes throughout the campaign.
Despite still being in the early stages of his career, Pears has been rewarded for his efforts and performances by being called up to England’s under-19s and under-20s squads. The ‘keeper was introduced to the under-19s squad in 2016, aged just 18, as he made his debut as a half-time substitute against the Netherlands in a friendly in September 2016. Despite making his debut against the Oranje, Pears was unable to keep a clean sheet throughout the second-half as the game ended 1-1. He would soon get to don the England shirt again, and just over a month later in England’s 2-1 friendly win against Bulgaria’s under-21s as Pears played and kept a clean sheet in the first-half, before being substituted off at half-time. Since those games in 2016, Pears hasn’t been awarded with any further caps, yet his stellar performances in 2017-18 for Darlington, did earn him a call-up to the under-20s squad, but he was unable to make an appearance, as he remained an unused substitute in the under-20’s Elite League victories against Poland and Portugal.
On the face of it, this deal might seem a bit excessive, given that it is Rovers’ third goalkeeping addition of the window, yet this could prove to be another shrewd long-term signing by Tony Mowbray, which has been consciously done in an attempt to strengthen the playing staff for the future. Whilst Pears won’t come in and displace Kaminski as Rovers’ number one, straight away, there is a lot of room and potential for the new addition to grow into, in order to establish himself as both, an exciting prospect and a more than reliable back-up, especially if Kaminski falls foul to injury or issues that may arise off the back of potential future international commitments. Additionally, given that Pears is so young, his acquisition will undoubtedly push and drive the other goalkeepers in the squad to try and then displace Pears as second or potentially first choice if such a situation arises. One thing’s for sure, is that Rovers’ goalkeeping department is as healthy, competitive and strong as it has been for many years.
