Blackburn Rovers: Enforced John Eustace switch adding value to one-time Premier League target - View | OneFootball

It would be no surprise to see one Rovers man soon start to attract interest from elsewhere

Blackburn Rovers have already brought in some sizable transfer fees from player sales during 2024.

Back in January, the Ewood Park outfit agreed a deal for the club record sale of Adam Wharton to Crystal Palace for a fee reported to be worth an initial £18million.

Then, the summer transfer window also saw last season's Championship Golden Boot winner, Sammie Szmodics, depart the Lancashire outfit.

He, too, headed for the Premier League, joining newly-promoted Ipswich Town for a reported £9million fee.

Looking ahead, if you were to ask Blackburn fans which of the club's current players could also fetch a decent fee in the future, there is a good chance most of them would say the name Hayden Carter.

Academy graduate now a key first-team player at Ewood Park

Having come through the youth ranks with Rovers, Carter has now developed into a vital figure in the senior setup for the club.

Since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, the centre-back has become more and more involved with the first-team at Ewood Park.

In that period, he has proven to be a largely reliable defender at Championship level, and he is now often one of the first names on a Blackburn teamsheet when fit and available.

His form has seemingly not gone unnoticed elsewhere either, with reports last summer claiming that Newcastle United have shown an interest in the now 24-year-old.

But with a contract that secures his future at Ewood Park until the end of the 2026/27 season, Rovers are not under pressure to sell him any time soon.

As a result, Blackburn will surely expect a big fee if they are to sell Carter any time soon, and it could be argued that the events of the last few weeks should only enhance that asking price.

Hayden Carter showing some crucial versatility for Blackburn

Over the past three games, Rovers head coach John Eustace has been unable to call upon right-back Callum Brittain due to injury.

With academy graduate Leo Duru still lacking experience at senior level, some may have expected Joe Rankin-Costello to take over on that side of defence.

Although he is more naturally attack-minded, the 25-year-old has spent most of his senior Blackburn career operating at right-back.

But with Rankin-Costello seemingly keen to move away from that role, it is Carter who has taken on the responsibility of filling the right full-back role.

While it is a role he has shown he can play in the past, it is one that he has rarely had to fill. But now that he is doing so, it feels fair to say that he has risen to the occasion.

Since stepping into the right-back position, Carter has done an excellent job defensively, rarely looking exposed on that side of the pitch.

Meanwhile, he has also offered an outlet going forward, with some driving runs down the flank that have helped open up the game for Rovers.

Indeed, at times he has almost looked as though he has been playing as a second right-winger, to help Blackburn when they have been going in search of goals.

His defending from the front has also impressed at times, and it is worth noting that it is in these last three games with Carter at right-back, that they have recorded their only clean sheets this season.

As a result, the 24-year-old does now look to have proven himself as a genuine option at right-back in the Championship going forward.

That, in turn, should give further reason for Blackburn to further add to any price tag they place on Carter, should other clubs come calling in future transfer windows.

With the demands of such a heavy schedule placing greater strain on players, versatile individuals who can play in more than one position are becoming increasingly important.

Given his recent exploits at right-back, it does look as though Carter now comes into that category, meaning he is worth even more to any club who can secure his services.

Right now, it is Blackburn who are in that privileged position, and so, in order to change that, clubs will surely have to pay even more than would previously have been the case, since it now looks as though they would be getting, from this deal, more than might have been expected in the past.