Lewis Travis has arrived at Ipswich Town on loan from Blackburn Rovers, becoming the club's second signing of the January transfer window. Alex Jones takes a closer look at the 26-year-old midfielder.
Made in the North West
Born in Whiston, Travis came through the ranks at Premier League giants Liverpool, initially joining them at the age of seven back in 2004.
He spent 10 years on Merseyside, where he played as a defender, but left before progressing to the first team. In 2014, he joined up with Blackburn, where he spent two years in the academy system before earning his first professional contract at the age of 19.
His manager at the time, Ipswich legend Tony Mowbray, saw the right traits and characteristics in him to transition him into a midfielder. He was handed a bit-part role as Rovers won promotion from League One in 2018, but he quickly developed into an important first team player.
He struggled for minutes in the first half of the 2018/19 season, often coming off the bench for five minutes at a time and playing out of position. However, he was brought into the team for his first start of the season in December, where his side lost 3-0 to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
He managed to keep his place, starting in all but one of their remaining league fixtures that season and often playing the full 90 minutes. It was a period that kickstarted his career, helping Blackburn to establish themselves in the Championship before becoming club captain.
In March 2023, he revealed that leading Blackburn out at Wembley was ‘on his bucket list’, so it could be seen as a surprise that's moved on. There’s rarely smoke without fire though.
Why he left Blackburn
Travis’ situation is a tricky one. Different people have said different things about him and his situation at Blackburn, and truthfully, the genuine answer will probably remain unclear.
What we know is that he was unhappy with his role at the club. After a spell out of the team in the early stages of last year, he revealed to the media that he ‘hated’ being on the sidelines. Despite being the club captain, that hasn’t really changed.
While he’s made 20 appearances in the Championship so far this season, most of them have come from the bench or out of position at full-back. His last start in midfield came all the way back on October 1, when Rovers lost 4-1 at home to Leicester City.
Manager Jon Dahl Tomasson revealed that Travis only really wanted to play in a deep-lying midfield role, adding that he’d asked to leave over the summer and again in October, with his exit – as one of the top earners at Ewood Park - freeing up wages for January recruits to come in.
There’s little secret, however, that the club rejected a bid of £800k from Millwall back in June 2023. There was also reported interest from MLS outfit Atlanta United and Premier League side Luton Town.
With that in mind, why would Blackburn let him leave on loan? If you scratch beneath the surface, is there more to it?
The Lancashire Telegraph has reported that he ‘reluctantly’ agreed to the move to get more game time, with a source claiming that he ‘sought answers from Tomasson about his role in midfield but to no avail’.
Fans have speculated that there may have been a rift between the two, but the manager has claimed that he has ‘absolutely no problem with Trav’.
It seems that the current first-choice midfield pairing of Sondre Tronstad and Adam Wharton are more suited to what the manager wants. That being said, the way the club have gone about Travis’ exit has received significant criticism from supporters, and they now need to find the right player to take up his place in the squad.
Style of play
A natural defensive midfielder, Travis is big, physical and aggressive. He likes to get stuck in and knows how to use his height to his advantage.
Under Tomasson, Blackburn have tried to play attractive, possession-based football. Travis doesn’t naturally suit that role, meaning that he often sits deep and protects the back line.
When he wins the ball back, he isn’t keen on bringing it forward and trying to create a chance. Instead, he looks for the first pass available, allowing someone else to carry it into the final third.
That’s probably the biggest difference between him and Sam Morsy, who’s incredibly comfortable on the ball. That could change under Kieran McKenna, but the likelihood is that his style will transfer over to Ipswich without any real adjustment.
He’s probably going to be the natural backup to the Egyptian international, which is an area that Town are struggling with. Lee Evans is injured while Dom Ball has started just one league game so far this season. Given that Morsy is suspended for the upcoming games against Sunderland and Leicester, it feels like a simple switch.
Beyond that, it’s tricky to see where he fits into the first-choice starting line-up. Part of the reason behind his move to Portman Road is game time, but he wants that to come as a midfielder.
He’s often been used to cover left-back and right-back positions at Blackburn, however, meaning that he can step in for the likes of Leif Davis, Harry Clarke and Brandon Williams.
One area of concern could be his disciplinary record, with seven yellow cards to his name already this season. It means that he's just three away from receiving a two-match ban, like the one Morsy is serving right now.
“The manager (McKenna) has been open and honest about it. The lads in centre mid, where I play, have been doing really well,” he said, upon joining the Blues. “But I’ve come in to play games. I think it’s just about me getting in there, impressing and helping the team get the job done."
That goal
Travis doesn’t really score goals. In more than 200 appearances for Blackburn across all competitions, he’s found the back of the net just six times. That being said, when he does have his shooting boots on, he can do it in style.
His first professional goal came away at Norwich City in 2018/19, firing a low effort into the net from the edge of the box. No Town fans would complain if he did that on his next trip to Carrow Road, that’s for sure.
He scored from a similar distance at home to Luton Town the following season, while his thunderous finish against Swansea City at the start of the 2022/23 campaign will also live long in the memory of Rovers fans.
What a screamer this was from Blackburn @Rovers' Lewis Travis 😱
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 30, 2022
Watch our @EFL highlights show on @ITV4 at 9pm pic.twitter.com/u6dGaf01yh
His best goal, however, came a week before his side’s 3-0 win in South Wales. QPR faced the long trip up to Ewood Park on the opening day of the season, and Travis made them pay with an absolute screamer.
The R’s cleared a corner out to Ryan Hedges, who flicked his header back to the midfielder around 25 yards out from goal. From there, he composed himself and looped an astonishing effort into the net to hand his side a 1-0 win.
What’s been said
Those who’ve worked with Travis have been full of praise for him.
Speaking after his 100th start for Blackburn in 2021, Mowbray said: "He brings a spirit to the team, and that’s why he plays when he’s available.
“Trav’s got lots of areas to improve his football, but he’s a warrior at heart and he’s made of the right stuff.
“He wants to win every tackle, every five-a-side and every game. It’s really important to have those ingredients in your football team.
“He of course has to perform to play but generally his personality means that he’ll give everything he’s got, whether he has a great game or a bad one.
“Trav puts a responsibility on himself. He’s very aware of the competition around the club and who can potentially play in midfield. He makes sure there are no down days in training.
“As a football manager, to see who has it in their belly when the games come thick and fast, Travis is someone who is always up for the fight.”
Former QPR boss Michael Beale, currently of Sunderland, coached Travis when the pair worked together at Liverpool’s academy.
They spoke after Travis scored his screamer against the R’s, where Beale joked that he regretted teaching the midfielder to shoot from range with such accuracy.
“Firstly, I'm so proud of him,” he admitted. “I know his dad and granddad were in the stands and I knew them for a long time when I went to Liverpool.
“For him to be captain of a club of this size is a fantastic personal achievement.
“He's earned it the hard way, coming through the academy and it was a fantastic goal.
“Well done to him because it was a goal worthy of winning the game."
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