Blackburn Rovers have managed to put pen to paper to secure the services of on loan Middlesbrough keeper Jason Steele until the summer of 2018, as reported by the Lancashire Telegraph.

Steele has joined Rovers on a permanent deal
Steele has joined Rovers on a permanent deal

The three and a half year deal was made despite the news brought to you by FLW of the transfer embargo put in place by the Football League, blocking the January window activity of Rovers as well as Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.

In a statement issued by the Football League, all three Championship sides all defaulted in complying with the Fair Play Requirement under the division’s Financial Fair Play rules. These rules state that a club can only be operating a maximum of a £3million operating loss alongside a £5m shareholder investment.

Having breached those stipulations Blackburn were fortunate to discover that players who have been on season-long loan can be acquired on a permanent basis so long as the contract is signed before the embargo is activated on New Year's Day, so Rovers acted sharply in securing Steele's signature for the permanent move.

Steele will be delighted with the move after originally hinting of his desire to join the club when speaking to The Lancashire Telegraph in November: "I am happy here and I am just happy playing football and to be involved with a team and a squad as good as we have here. I don’t live down here but if things were to change, then that would change."

Steele currently has four clean sheets from 15 league appearances, conceding just over a goal per game on average.

The ex-England youth international, who has also represented Great Britain in the Olympic Games, will be motivated to help Blackburn return to Premier League having earned the number one goalkeeping berth through his impressive performances.