BLACKBURN Rovers were denied a major transfer coup by Dennis Wise's loyalty to Chelsea.

Rovers were within a whisker of landing the former England midfielder in a stunning £2 milion deal.

But after travelling north to speak with Rovers boss Graeme Souness, Wise had a last-minute change of heart and opted to stay at Stamford Bridge.

The 34-year-old midfielder had originally sought to leave Chelsea after being left out of the side by coach Claudio Raniero.

And Rovers forced themselves straight to the front of the queue in the race for Wise's services.

"When Graeme heard he might be available we acted very quickly. We did get a fee from Chelsea of £2 million and they gave us permission to talk to him," confirmed Rovers chief executive John Williams.

"Graeme spoke to Dennis and believed he was very close but at the end of the day he decided to stay with Chelsea.

"While they agreed a fee Chelsea always hoped they would keep him.

"The reality of football is that sometimes you get very close to pulling off deals and sometimes you don't.

"We've got no complaints and no axe to grind with Dennis Wise or Chelsea."

Rovers were ready to spend big to land Wise on what would have been the player's last major contract.

His wage demands would have been large and there would have been no future sell-on value for Blackburn.

But the club's new financiers were still willing to spend, which will be re-assuring for Rovers fans as they hope for a top-flight return.

Williams added: "We acted very quickly and properly with the major support of Jack Walker's shareholders in Jersey, who have the awesome responsibility of trying to reflect Jack Walker's wishes coupled with astute financial management.

"That enabled us to work hard over the weekend and get a price. Dennis came up and met Graeme but you have to bear in mind that he has been at Chelsea for 11 years and I suspect there was a lot of pressure for him to stay."

The powers-that-be at Chelsea, including chairman Ken Bates and managing director Colin Hutchinson, made an 11th-hour plea to keep Wise at the club.

And that and pleas from fellow players, family and friends looks to have denied Rovers a transfer coup.

"Even my mum was upset that I might be leaving the club, but I am staying now," said Wise.