Blackburn Rovers should act upon Carlisle and Oxford United transfer interest: View | OneFootball

Blackburn should take the opportunity to get their 20-year-old striker, Harry Leonard, some proper game time, and there are two League One clubs who are interested in taking him.

Carlisle United and Oxford United both want to sign 20-year-old Rovers striker Leonard in the summer, according to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon.

Nixon added that the young forward was made available in the January transfer window, but he ended up staying at Ewood Park. The 2024/25 campaign, however, could see him playing for someone other than Rovers, as they are reportedly considering sending him out on loan at the start of next season.

The two clubs are in different situations, with the Cumbrian side currently sat bottom of the League One table, whereas Oxford are aiming for a spot in the top six, but they would provide slightly differing opportunities for Leonard to grow as a footballer, and Blackburn should take up an offer if it comes in.

Blackburn should send Harry Leonard out on loan in the summer

Unless there is a big change in Leonard's game time between now and the end of the season, and that is possible now that John Eustace has come in to replace Jon Dahl Tomasson, then he should be sent out on loan before the start of the 2024/25 season.

They obviously see him as a player for the future as, not too long ago, they gave him a new deal that expires in the summer of 2027. He's a project player, as most academy graduates are, but his early 20s is when he's most malleable as a player; these are his development years, and they shouldn't be wasted by making 30-minute cameos at Ewood Park every other game. That does sell his current game time a bit short, but the point still stands; he needs to be playing regular football to grow as a footballer.

He's shown that he is capable of playing at the Championship level, but if he isn't able to get the required game time, then it will reduce his chances of reaching his full potential.

Harry Leonard should pick Oxford over Carlisle

There are two main reasons why the 20-year-old should choose a move to Oxfordshire rather than Cumbria, if those are the two clubs that make a move for him in the summer. First is the current predicaments of the two clubs.

Carlisle are more than likely going to get relegated back to League Two after spending just one season in the third tier. Oxford, on the other hand, have a decent chance of getting into the League One play-offs. Leonard has already proven that he can score goals in the second tier of English football, so why would he drop all the way down to the bottom league of the EFL?

Second of all, a move to Carlisle wouldn't be smart for his future. With the club's new ownership, they do look set to be eventually head on an upward trajectory, and with the new ownership has come an altered transfer policy. They bought Championship striker Georgie Kelly in the January window, so they would likely want to buy Leonard if he could.

Carlisle could eventually get back up to the Championship, but if he were to leave Blackburn, it'd be a massive risk. Going on loan from a Championship side to a top-end League One side is a much safer bet for his career, and it's a move that probably has more upside too.