After patient negotiations, Rovers have finally announced that talismanic playmaker, Bradley Dack, has committed his future to the Blues by agreeing to a new two-and-a-half-year contract which includes the option for a further 12-month extension.
The announcement fittingly comes 12-months on from his cruciate knee ligament injury vs Wigan Athletic on 23rd December 2019, which set Dack back a year, however after a surgery and multiple months of hard work, graft and even a television series(!), the #23 is edging closer to a return by the day.
After joining from Gillingham in the summer of 2017 for a bargain price of £750,000, Dack helped the club bounce back from their relegation to League One at the first attempt, whilst claiming 18 goals and nine assists to his name, alongside the double award of the 2017-18 Rovers and League One Player of the Year. As well as laying a marker down in the third-tier, he has gone on to perform beyond the initial expectations set of him as he helped Rovers comfortably establish themselves as one of the Championship’s mainstays upon their return, as well as cement himself as a stand-out player, prime creator and one of the most sought-after talents both to watch and to scout within the second-tier, despite the talent on show that comes down from the Premier League, annually.
The 26-year old, who after tallying his assists alongside his goals for the club, boasts an envious goal contribution tally of 70 goals from the 114 games – which is just over 0.61 goal contributions per game – has proven to be a catalyst in Rovers’ recent rise as they set their sights on the top tier, with Dack very much a central figure in trying to achieve that goal. Alongside his natural instinct of putting the ball into the back of the net, the recently turned reality TV star also boasts rather impressive stats away from the six-yard box.
During his first season in the Championship, when Rovers consolidated themselves with a respectable 15th position finish, Dack boasted a healthy 15 goals and seven assists to his name, whereas last season when Rovers finished 11th despite Dack’s absence for exactly half of the season’s games (23), the midfielder notched nine goals and one assist before his season came to an abrupt end.
Throughout 2018-19, Dack boasted the third highest number of dribbles among central and attacking midfielders in the Championship that has play more than 20 league games at 99, with 57 of those – also division’s third highest – being successful. Throughout that campaign, Dack also claimed the second-highest number of shots between the division’s central/attacking midfielders, with 100, which was just five behind Aston Villa’s John McGinn – who would go on to gain promotion via the playoffs that season.
Whilst the 2019-20 stats will undoubtedly be slighted against Dack, given he only played in half of the season’s games versus his counterparts, they still provide interesting viewing. Despite only playing in 22 of Rovers’ games last season, the playmaker still managed to notch the 11th highest shots between the central/attacking midfielders of the division. In comparison, former Rover Tom Cairney – who captained Fulham to a playoff victory – played in 39 games, but only 37 attempts at goal – notching eight goals and three assists – despite playing 17 more games.
Although his attempted dribbles had decreased rapidly from 99 in 2018-19 to 35 in 2019-20, his goal tally of nine placed him as runner-up between the division’s central/attacking midfield, behind Preston North End’s Daniel Johnson, whose tally of 12 includes six penalties. Despite only playing in half of the campaign and not having the desire impact on the team he would have obviously liked, Dack’s goal tally prior to his injury and in comparison to his direct rivals shows his importance to this Rovers side, which given the gradual change in playstyle of the side into a more possessional outfit, will only increase and help Bradley, as he re-accustoms himself back to life in the unforgiving Championship. – (statistics courtesy of WhoScored and Transfermarkt).
Dack, whose 27th birthday is on the final day of the calendar year, spoke to the club’s website after agreeing to extend his stay in the Blue and White halves of Rovers:
“I’m really pleased to commit to this club for three more years and with the option of it potentially becoming four.
“This club gave me the opportunity to come here in League One and show what I can do and the gaffer believed in me. The club have given me the opportunity to play in the Championship for the first time and has stuck by me through the injury, so I felt like I owed the club a little bit and as long as the deal was right for both parties then I was happy to sign.
“This is my fourth season now and hopefully we can finish this season off with a flourish. The last year hasn’t been great for me, but injuries are part and parcel of football and I was unlucky to get a serious one, but overall, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here so far.
“Getting promoted from League One is obviously a major highlight and then testing myself in the Championship as well has been amazing and to see the squad grow like it has, it’s been nice to be a part of.
“I firmly believe that this squad right now is good enough to get into the Premier League. We’ve had some inconsistent results, but it’s just about turning those games that we’re dominating into wins and I think that we definitely have the players to do that and with the players coming back, it will give us a massive chance.”
