Blackburn finally sign Savage as Ferguson is warned

Blackburn Rovers have finally added the combative Robbie Savage to their squad on the day before another of their midfielders, Barry Ferguson, finds out if he will be allowed to leave the club.

Savage joined Rovers from their Premiership rivals Birmingham City for a fee believed to be around £3m. The Wales midfielder passed a medical yesterday and has signed a three-and-a-half year deal after agreeing personal terms.

The news was announced on the club's website and Savage will be unveiled to the media on Friday. The midfielder is likely to make his debut in Monday's local derby against Bolton Wanderers.

The protracted saga has finally been brought to a conclusion after Blackburn increased their initial bid of approximately £2m. Before Christmas, Savage revealed his desire to leave Birmingham in order to be closer to his unwell parents who live in Wrexham. However, when it was revealed that Blackburn is further from Wrexham than Birmingham, supporters' sympathy quickly dried up.

Savage is likely to replace Ferguson in the long term. Yesterday the Scotsman's agent, John Viola, said he was expecting to learn tomorrow whether Ferguson will be allowed to leave Rovers, who have already turned down a £3m bid, to join his former side Rangers.

He said: "I will be speaking to them at some stage tomorrow. They said they would come back within 48 hours with an answer." In the meantime, though, the Scot has been "warned as to his future conduct" after an FA disciplinary commission hearing.

The charge related to an incident involving Crystal Palace's Fitz Hall during Blackburn's Barclays Premiership match at Selhurst Park on December 11. The match ended on a controversial note following the dismissal of the Rovers substitute David Thompson.

The midfielder had not been on the pitch long when he was sent off by Wiley after a mêlée near the halfway line which involved almost all the players from both sides.

It had been sparked following a strong challenge by Sandor Torghelle on Lucas Neill. Thompson and Palace defender Fitz Hall squared up in the ensuing fracas, and although Thompson was initially punished with a red card, his fellow midfielder Ferguson has now been censured for his part in the incident.