Jay Spearing has moved to Blackburn Rovers on loan, having struggled to nail down a place in Neil Lennon’s line-up at Bolton Wanderers.
The 26-year-old midfielder developed through the youth system at Liverpool, but was never considered a first team regular during his time on Merseyside which also incorporated temporary spells at Leicester City and Bolton. Having played 37 times for the latter, he was signed on a permanent basis by the Lancastrians in the summer of 2013 for a fee in the region of £1.5million.
Spearing missed just one league game for the Trotters during his debut season, has racked up another 21 outings in the Championship this term, and was named as Zat Knight’s successor as club captain in the summer. However, he has found his route into the first team congested since Lennon was appointed as manager, starting just four league games under the former Celtic coach.
Blackburn have now agreed a deal to take the midfielder on loan for the remainder of the season, as they look to push for a playoff place. Gary Bowyer’s side are currently tenth in the second-tier standings, and whilst they trail sixth-place Watford by 11 points, they do have a game in hand. That fixture will be played on Saturday against Fulham, when Spearing could make his debut.
Meanwhile, Bolton have signed Ben Amos from Manchester United on a month-long loan deal. Lennon needed to find a new goalkeeper due to an ankle injury to Hungarian Adam Bogdan, who has been ruled out for up to six weeks. The Old Trafford shot-stopper is currently fourth in the pecking order at his parent club, behind David de Gea, Victor Valdes and Anders Lindegaard.
