Doncaster Rovers took a big summer gamble that could come back to haunt them | OneFootball

The transfer window has slammed shut, and there remains one glaring issue at Doncaster Rovers.

The transfer window has slammed shut, and there remains one glaring issue at Doncaster Rovers.

Grant McCann has brought in the likes of Huddersfield Town striker Alfie May on loan, attacking-midfielder Isaac Hutchinson, and flashy winger Leon Ayinde, but there is one area of the pitch where reinforcements have not been secured.

Doncaster Rovers still have one key issue

Doncaster propelled themselves up the Sky Bet League One table after the January transfer window closed last season. The addition of Neil Byrne into their defence, on loan from fellow third tier side Bradford City, helped their squad and solidified their previously shaky defence.

McCann’s men conceded 69 goals last season. Only the relegated pair Northampton Town and Rotherham United, as well as surviving trio Leyton Orient, AFC Wimbledon, and Peterborough United had a worse defensive record.

However, their record was slightly improved from February first until the end of the 2025/26 campaign. They conceded 24 goals in the last 18 games of the campaign, as they recorded form that would have secured them a play-off spot if that period was stretched across the full season.

Byrne’s move was turned permanent this summer, but that was the only addition in the centre of the Rovers backline. Doncaster re-signed James Husband as an alternative left-back option alongside the impressive Jack Senior, moving from Blackpool to return to the side where his EFL career got going in earnest.

The experienced Matty Pearson, local lad Jay McGrath, Irishman Sean Grehan, and the aforementioned Byrne are the four options McCann has at his disposal in the centre of defence. Skipper Owen Bailey can deputise from midfield too, and has seen himself deployed into the back four already due to injuries in the right-back department.

Whether poaching an impressive option from a League Two team, bringing in a Premier League youngster on loan, or finding an established third tier name, there were many different routes Doncaster could have taken to bolster their centre-back options. Instead, they opted to go into the 2026/27 with the same defence that failed to shine last term.

Grant McCann has not solved his team’s defensive weakness

That line-up is no different, and therefore no better, than the defensive unit that struggled for large chunks of the most recent League One campaign.

The trend has continued from last season into this one as well, with four goals shipped against a Middlesbrough side who barely got out of second gear in the EFL Cup and two that go down in the ‘poor goals to concede’ category against a lacklustre Stevenage.

Doncaster went into the summer needing plenty of new additions. They have signed a handful of attackers, securing additional midfielders, but have not strengthened in the core of defence.

Rovers manager McCann always had his work cut out for him, but he has left his team’s biggest weakness unattended to. A good defence can vastly improve a team that might still be lacking in other departments.

Stevenage built their entire campaign, which saw them reach the play-offs last season, on having a strong defence. They did not have a flashy attacking line, with only the bottom three scoring less throughout 2025/26, but had the likes of Charlie Goode and Carl Piergianni at the heart of their defence.

Title winners Lincoln City were the only team who conceded less than Boro’s 46 goals last term, a third less than Doncaster.

Rovers have a tough task ahead of them in a competitive League One. With a defence that shows little signs of improving they could see themselves into trouble due to their lack of action in the transfer window.