Blackburn Rovers must be frustrated over Luton Town transfer decision - they’ve lost out on cash windfall | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers will certainly be disappointed about Thomas Kaminski's move from Luton Town to Charlton Athletic

Blackburn Rovers will likely be disappointed about Thomas Kaminski's move from Luton Town to Charlton Athletic, which has seen them lose out financially.

Charlton Athletic's manager Nathan Jones - who previously worked with Kaminski at Luton, described the shot-stopper as "one of the best goalkeepers in the division."

Looking back at Thomas Kaminski's journey from Blackburn to Luton - it was initially viewed as a positive move for all parties involved - the Belgian had been a consistent performer at Ewood Park since joining from Gent in 2020 for £460k.

So when the Hatters came calling with their £2.5m offer in the summer of 2023, it did represent a nice profit for Rovers on their original investment - and the inclusion of a sell-on clause seemed like smart business at the time.

Blackburn Rovers miss out on expected windfall as Luton Town make loss on Kaminski

As is common nowadays, Blackburn included a sell-on clause that would see them receive 10 per cent of any profit Luton made on the transfer fee.

However, with Charlton's fee reportedly being around the £1m mark - a lot less than the £2.5m the Hatters paid in 2023 - there is no profit to be shared.

This is definitely a big disappointment for Rovers, who would have reasonably expected Kaminski to be sold on for considerably more money given his impressive performances during Luton's time in the Premier League.

The 32-year-old goalkeeper won the Premier League Save of the Season award for his spectacular double stop against Crystal Palace - and made the second-highest number of saves across the entire division during 23/24.

The structure of sell-on clauses means that they are only triggered when the selling club makes a profit on their initial investment - basically a percentage of any profit made, not the total transfer fee.

Adam Wharton deal a reminder of a more successful clause for Blackburn Rovers

This situation does show both the potential benefits and perhaps pitfalls of sell-on clauses in modern football. While Rovers have been more successful with similar arrangements - notably securing a 10-15% sell-on clause for Adam Wharton's £22m move to Palace - the Kaminski deal is a reminder that not all clauses actually guarantee any money.

Luton's double relegation made them just the fourth club in the Premier League era to experience successive relegations after a season in the top flight, joining Swindon Town, Wolves, and Sunderland in that unwanted record.

It was this that severely impacted Kaminski's market value, given Blackburn could have expected a significant windfall had the Belgian moved on during or immediately after Luton's top-flight season.

Instead, Valerien Ismael's side must watch as a player who cost them £460k and was sold for £2.5m generates no additional income despite two years of solid performances.

Meanwhile, Nathan Jones will certainly be over the moon with securing a Kaminski reunion at a cut-price. The Belgian is linking back up with his former Luton boss as the Addicks prepare for their return to the Championship after a five-year absence.