Michael Obafemi was a long-term Rovers target, but Swansea City’s interest dated back to January, as they landed the Southampton striker on a permanent deal.
The Swans agreed an initial £1.5 million transfer fee to take Obafemi from St Mary’s to south Wales on deadline day.
That was the same figure that Rovers were understood to have agreed with Saints for the 21-year-old, despite reports of the fee being four times that.
Obafemi was one of Rovers’ top targets to replace Adam Armstrong, who left for Southampton last month in a deal worth an initial £15m, but in the end they failed to add another striker to their squad.
Mowbray said two weeks out from the closing of the window that Obafemi was ‘off the radar’ but it was always expected that he would move before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline, with Swansea using the funds from the sale of Jamal Lowe to Bournemouth to make a move for the Republic of Ireland international.
Injury ruled out the expected loan switch to Swansea in January for Obafemi, but the club retained their pursuit of the Southampton man which went all the way to the latter stages of deadline day.
Swans boss Russell Martin, who replaced Steve Cooper on the eve of the season, said he has sought several references on Obafemi and received positive assurances before giving the green light to the signing.
“Michael is someone the club got really close to in January. He has been monitored since then,” Martin told Wales Online.
“I’ve been fortunate to only just finish playing so I know a lot of the players he’s played with. Every single one spoke very highly of him.
“Everyone just felt he needed to find a home, find somewhere that he would get a bit of love and some game time and he could really flourish.”
Obafemi was into the final year of his contract at Southampton and managed just nine Premier League starts, not helped by an injury-disrupted 2021.