Blackburn Rovers have confirmed that defender, Daniel Ayala will be released on 30 June 2023 upon expiry of his contract.
Ayala joined Rovers on a free transfer from Middlesbrough in September 2020 and has scored four goals in 58 appearances.
The Spaniard though endured a series of injuries throughout his time at Ewood Park, including a hamstring injury which kept him out for much of Blackburn’s run-in from late February although he returned for their dramatic final-day win at Millwall as a substitute.
“It’s a bitter-sweet moment really,” commented Ayala as he reflected upon his three-season stint at Blackburn.
Ayala though admitted that he wished to remain with the club, as he continued: “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.”
Having missed out on the play-offs in the last two seasons with Blackburn, Ayala described those experiences as “really frustrating,” but iterated that the team has enough quality to eventually get into the play-off spots.
Ayala nevertheless is confident that Blackburn can continue to progress as he concluded: “For one reason or another we just fell short, but the club is in a great position to challenge again, with a great manager, a great group of players and real togetherness, and I firmly believe that they can get there.”
Blackburn meanwhile issued a short statement on their decision to release Ayala, in which they said: ‘Rovers would like to thank Daniel for his professionalism, his leadership and his contribution over the past three seasons and we wish him and his family well for the future.’
Leave a Reply