Blackburn Rovers and Daniel Ayala will part ways when his contract expires at the end of next month.
Ayala and Blackburn Rovers bring an end to their three-year relationship. The Spaniard will officially become a free agent this summer and he already has suitors, with reports having credited Rotherham United with an interest in the ex-Liverpool man earlier this month.
And this news comes at a perfect time for the Millers who released their retained list yesterday. Defenders Wes Harding and Richard Wood will be leaving, with Sean Morrison in talks over a new potential deal, so a centre-back signing looks to have taken on even more important for Rotherham United this summer.
Ayala played 25 times in the Championship this season. He’s struggled with injury during his three years at Ewood Park having made a total of 56 league appearances, and speaking to the club upon the news of his release, Ayala had this to say:
“It’s a bitter-sweet moment really. I’ve been really happy here for the last three years and part of me wanted to stay, because it’s a great club, with great fans and great staff, but I know that it’s part of football and I have to move on.
“I’ve had some really happy times here, but also some down moments as well, especially with a few injuries, which prevented me from playing as many games as I wanted and perhaps showing a bit more what I can do.”
Ayala to Rotherham?
Ayala is certainly an experienced name at Championship level and he’ll be a decent signing for most teams in the division.
But the obvious concern is his fitness record. He’s really struggled over the past three seasons and so for Rotherham United, signing Ayala would come with risks.
They signed Morrison in January and he immediately picked up an injury, and they won’t want a repeat of that, so they might think twice before signing a player with a track record of injuries.
But if Ayala can find fitness in the summer and prove himself then he’d still be a very shrewd signing for the Millers.
