Sam Nombe to leave Rotherham United? Bristol Rovers transfer raid makes so much sense | OneFootball

Rotherham United should target Bristol City's Fabrizio Cavegn to replace Sam Nombe, who is surely set to move on from the League Two club

As is the case when any team gets relegated, clubs from the tier they've been relegated from, or sometimes even higher up the pyramid, swoop to take some of the better players who haven't necessarily contributed to the poor season.

In Rotherham United's case this summer, record signing Sam Nombe will most definitely beof interest.

The 27-year-old is coming off the back of a third consecutive season scoring in double digits in League One, including his final year at Exeter City, and he did so this season in only 31 outings, after missing periods in 2025 with hamstring and quad injuries.

In 2026, he seemed to be the only player in a Rotherham shirt who knew where the net was. Indeed, in a nine-game period between March and April, he was the only person to get on the scoresheet for the Millers.

The fact that he only scored three goals in that time is indicative of how poor his team was, but he's still a level above League Two, and it's not much of a surprise that a Championship team has been in contact with the South Yorkshire side about a summer move.

Rotherham United should target Bristol Rovers' Fabrizio Cavegn to replace Sam Nombe

A lot can be said about Rotherham's financial standing in their last two years in League One, and some poor signings when they fell into the third tier just two years ago have arguably contributed to this fourth-tier campaign they are set to undergo in the summer.

But the reality should be that the Millers will have better finances and facilities compared to their new League Two peers, and it means that they'll be an attractive destination if they were to register interest in someone who plays in the same division.

Therefore, Rotherham should keep an eye on Bristol Rovers frontman Fabrizio Cavegn as and when Nombe leaves for new pastures, as the 23-year-old has had a solid first season in England with the Gas.

Cavegn arrived at the Memorial Stadium just last summer, making the switch from Swiss second-tier side FC Vaduz. It's been a turbulent return to the fourth tier for Bristol Rovers, and that's been reflected in the Swissman's form.

Remarkably, the Gas held the longest losing run in the fourth tier this season, with 10 straight defeats between October and December, a run which saw Darrell Clarke sacked, and under new boss Steve Evans, they'd win eight straight before their final day draw with Notts County.

In that time, Cavegn has been on a run of scoring five in six league games from September through to October, and also scored a hat trick in Evans' first win in charge on New Year's Day against Shrewsbury Town.

However, as the Pirates went on their long winning run to end the season, the 23-year-old would fall out of contention, starting just one of the final six games, failing to get off the bench in two of them.

Cavegn still finished the season as Bristol Rovers' top scorer, with 15 goals in 51 games in all competitions, but that run out of the team towards the end of the season has brought into question whether he'll be in Evans' plans for 2026/27. If he isn't, Rotherham should be knocking on the door of the Mem to see if he'd be open to making the move to South Yorkshire.

Rotherham United may face League One opposition in Fabrizio Cavegn pursuit

If Rotherham are to look at Cavegn as their eventual Nombe replacement, they may have to act fast, and they may also have to table a very attractive offer for him, as Bristol Rovers have already reportedly knocked back an approach from a League One club for their top scorer.

Whether that's an indication that the 23-year-old is not for sale this summer, or that the third-tier side didn't offer what the Gas feel to be an acceptable amount, is unknown, but it outlines that a swoop for the Swissman won't be straightforward.

The Millers will need to be proactive this summer if they are to bounce back immediately in their first fourth-tier campaign since the 2012/13 season.

It's a well-known sentiment that those who fall out of League One often struggle to stop the rot and put together an immediate promotion push. Outside of Cambridge United, who finished third, the other three relegated sides finished in the bottom half of League Two this season.

Two finished in the bottom six, and Bristol Rovers will have been right down there too, if not for their mammoth winning streak towards the end of the season. Before their eight-game winning run, they were sitting in 19th.

Beating out League One opposition for a striker who, despite being in a whole new country and in a different division, still managed double-digit goals in a seemingly struggling side, would be a sign of that proactive nature they need to adopt.

Cavegn won't be the only signing the Millers would need to make to engineer an immediate League One return, but he'd go a long way to helping make it a reality.