Have you heard anything about season tickets?

Season ticket details should be released soon. The finer details are being signed off in India and that has been the delay.

In terms of the marketing and commercial side, the club are prepared. It is just a case of the final figures being approved and then they will be shared with supporters.

Where is the club statement regarding Gregg Broughton?

This is imminent. The club are finalising the legal side of his exit and so that has caused a delay. Would expect an announcement soon but, either way, he has definitely left Rovers.

What is the latest regarding the DoF? Will it be Rudy Gestede?

My understanding is that nobody is primed and lined up to jump straight into the role. For the time being, Rovers have John Eustace as head coach, Sean Kimberley who is Head of Recruitment and the existing team that was under Broughton.

Chief Executive Steve Waggott already took a role in the negotiations with other clubs and players so he will continue to do so in the meantime.

I wouldn't rule an appointment later down the line but there is nobody ready to jump straight in, as I understand. Gestede has been working with the club and is interested in a role on the sporting side, as he told The Lancashire Telegraph in an interview last year.

However, he's not ready for the top job yet. Whether he could have a part in a wider structure, let's see.

What are you expecting from the retained list?

Rovers have to inform players by Saturday, May 18, on their final decisions. They don't have to make that public until mid-June though.

That said, I think they will release their retained list in the next few days.

From the first-team, it should be quite straightforward. Sam Gallagher and Tyrhys Dolan's extensions will be triggered.

Kyle McFadzean has been in talks with Rovers. I'd imagine they will note that and then provide another announcement further down the line whether he has signed or is leaving.

Similarly, there have been some conversations with John Fleck but whether an agreement will be reached, I'm less confident. 

Outside of that, it will be information on the Under-21s. The likes of Sam Barnes, Jalil Saadi and Jared Harlock will leave. They have tougher decisions to make on Harrison Wood and Charlie Weston amongst others.

What is the latest with Sam Gallagher and Tyrhys Dolan?

Rovers are expected to trigger the extensions in their contracts which takes them until 2025.

The club will sit down with each player separately to thrash out their future. Both have been offered new contracts but those have not been signed.

Gallagher was obviously subject to interest from Ipswich. He is one of the highest earners at Rovers and so any new contract would surely be on reduced terms. 

With Dolan, Rovers are further protected by his age. Even if he left as a free agent in 2025, they'd be due compensation. It's understood that the initial offer to the forward was lower than hoped.

In reality, Rovers will be looking to sell both players if they don't sign new deals. They can't afford to let sellable assets walk away for nothing and so crunch talks will take place this summer.

Do you expect Lewis Travis to stay at Rovers?

It's an interesting one. I personally think he'll be at Rovers next season.

He has two years left on his contract and has always reiterated his commitment to Rovers. He left because of Jon Dahl Tomasson and a lack of game time.

Travis seems a very 'John Eustace type' and so I think they'd be well suited. Talks are planned for the summer and I believe the captain is open to coming back under a new regime.

The only complication would be if Ipswich or another club came in with a serious offer. But that would have to be in the millions and I'm just not sure it will happen.

So, if you're asking for a prediction, I do think Travis will be at Rovers next year.

What do you think the style of play will be under John Eustace next year?

I think that John Eustace came in with a remit of staying up. I think everything went out of the window, to be honest. Whether that's right or wrong, we'll all have our opinions.

Eustace has spoken about a desire to ensure Rovers are not predictable. He likes to play a 'mixed' style, where his teams can dominate the ball but also play on the counter-attack and be defensive solid.

Where Tomasson was totally wedded to one style, I don't think Eustace is. As a general rule of thumb, I think he prefers a back four but he'll want the option to change that depending on the opponent.

I thought some of his comments at the end of the season were very interesting. He basically said that Rovers weren't clinical enough to play on the front foot and they couldn't afford to chase games, in their situation.

Now this is a new season and he'll have the summer to recruit new players. You'd like to think he can address the balance of the squad and, therefore, play more proactively in more games next year.

What does the transfer budget look like for this summer?

From every indication we have been given, Rovers are in a healthier position than 12 months ago. Let's not forget that, even before the India issues, Rovers were told they had to generate their own transfer budget.

We haven't been able to sit down with Broughton, as he's left, or a Rovers official so we don't have that same clarity. But Venky's have been told they can fund the club to their liking, if they match each pound with a personal guarantee.

There are no Financial Fair Play issues after the sale of Adam Wharton and the funds coming in from David Raya's sell-on. The new EFL deal boosts the coffers too and Rovers could even post a profit in their 2023/24 accounts.

So I expect there will be a bit of money to spend. Not buckets, but at least some, which they didn't have last summer.

Will Rovers sign a striker this summer to help Szmodics? Is he going to leave?

That has to be their number one priority and Eustace knows that.

He's spoken quite openly a few times about only having one goal-scorer. He has praised Gallagher and Dolan for their work rate and application but hasn't denied they need to score more goals, as a team.

Signing a forward will be imperative. It hasn't worked out for Semir Telalovic. Harry Leonard is exciting but only 20. Gallagher has suffered with injury issues and usually averages around 10 a season.

I don't think the equation with Szmodics is as simple as everyone thinks. He's had an amazing season and so Rovers, rightly, should want around £15m for his services.

Is there a club that will pay that? Let's see. He's on a long-term contract and is 28 so there is less resale value. He is clearly committed to Rovers but would like to go if a Premier League club comes in, which is fair enough.

What is happening with Duncan McGuire?

Well, it seems the bridges have been burned now, doesn't it? His latest interview certainly painted a picture.

Rovers have remained in contact with McGuire's camp, as they said they would. Broughton and Waggott have kept a clear line of communication and the recruitment team have scouted him at various points.

He looks set to leave Orlando City this summer and if he has other options, he'll be going elsewhere. Whether Rovers will try to persuade him otherwise, I am not sure after this latest interview.

I'm not aware of a Rovers official travelling to the States as has been reported. It certainly wasn't Waggott. Whether a less senior member of the recruitment team has travelled, or an outside representative acting on the club's behalf, I don't know.

How much will the European Championships have an impact on the summer window?

It definitely will, particularly the loan market from Premier League clubs.

We see this every time there is a major international tournament. The only real business is free agents or pick-ups from abroad.

Until Premier League clubs know their squads and sometimes even come back from their pre-season tours, the loan market won't kick into gear. It's been the same since COVID, really.

Which areas do you think Rovers will look to strengthen?

For me, I think the first priority has to be a striker. They need more goals in the team.

It's been obvious how much Ryan Hedges has been missed. They need an alternative on that right-hand side. Central midfield looks ok if Travis stays and Joe Rankin-Costello continues operating there.

At the back, they need a centre-back, whether McFadzean stays or not. They also need to bolster the full-back areas. They have a couple of exciting academy talents who could fill those deputy roles but you'd like to see at least one senior specialist recruited.

Who from the academy could make the step up?

Great question, I actually think there are a couple. 

Leo Duru signed a new deal this week and if Rankin-Costello plays midfield, there could be a chance for him to break through as an understudy to Callum Brittain.

Likewise, Jake Batty on the left. Now, he was expected to do that last summer but he struggled to adapt to Tomasson's style. Batty is more of a bombing wing-back type, rather than someone who comes into midfield as the former head coach wanted.

I think he is far better suited to Eustace's style. He needs a good pre-season and to stay injury-free though. Georgie Gent is another who could fill that role after an impressive loan spell at Motherwell.

The other obvious player is Zak Gilsenan, who has been on the cusp. They'll have a proper look at him in pre-season.