RICHIE TOWELL HOPES to be a Rotherham United player again next season, as an uncertain future lies ahead for the Irish midfielder.
Towell, who scored his fourth Championship goal of the season in a 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday last weekend, is on loan at Rotherham from Premier League outfit Brighton & Hove Albion until the end of the campaign.
“I’d definitely like that to happen,” Towell told local media about the prospect of signing a permanent deal with Rotherham. “I love it here. I’ve always enjoyed my time here.
“I love playing under this manager and with this group of players. It’a a good place to be. I’m living in Leeds, which is a nice city. There’s a real feel-good factor here. It’s a nice place to come into to train every day.”
Now in his second loan spell at the New York Stadium, Towell first linked up with Rotherham in August 2017 and helped the club to achieve promotion to the Championship for this season.
The Dubliner has made 21 starts for the Millers in the Championship in this campaign, with Paul Warne’s side experiencing difficulty in their attempts to avoid a swift return to League One. They’re currently in the relegation zone with 13 games remaining.
Rotherham failed in their bid to sign Towell permanently during the January transfer window, but the 27-year-old remains hopeful that a deal can be concluded when his Brighton contract expires.
“For one thing or another, it just didn’t work out in January,” he said. “It was unfortunate because I would have liked to have got things done. I was disappointed it didn’t happen.
“I’m out of contract at Brighton at the end of the season. I have a young family and another baby on the way, so it’s not ideal to be out of contract at the end of the season. I’m the type of person who just gets on with it.
“I work as hard as I can every single day and hopefully if I keep putting in performances like that against [Sheffield] Wednesday, the gaffer here will try to sign me again in the summer.”
Towell joined Brighton after a superb double-winning season with Dundalk in 2015. However, the former Ireland U21 international was unable to nail down a regular place with the club, for whom he was restricted to five first-team appearances.
Earlier this season, his form for Rotherham was acknowledged when he was twice named in provisional Republic of Ireland senior squads by former manager Martin O’Neill.
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