Football League World
·18 December 2024
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·18 December 2024
Blackburn have set out their intentions to offer experienced duo Ryan Hedges and Dominic Hyam new contracts.
Blackburn Rovers are reportedly set to open talks with Ryan Hedges over a new deal while they are protected with the option of a one-year extension in the contracts of both the Wales international and defender Dominic Hyam.
Rovers are currently fifth in the second-tier table, with a streak of six straight victories helping the Lancashire outfit collect 37 points from their opening 20 league outings.
They will be hoping this will be the year to make their long-awaited return to the Premier League, and with John Eustace beginning to work his magic just like he did at Birmingham City, there's optimism that they can end their 13-year exile from the top flight.
Hedges and Hyam have been fundamental to such a positive atmosphere being built at Ewood Park, but with both of their contracts expiring in the summer, an update has emerged on both.
Reported by the Lancashire Telegraph, Blackburn are set to open talks with Hedges over a new contract.
The Welsh winger has been a first-team mainstay under Eustace this season and is apparently a very popular player in the dressing room at Ewood Park.
It has been reported that Blackburn have been particularly impressed with how the 29-year-old has overcome two serious hamstring injuries and has stayed away from the treatment table to become a valuable asset in blue and white.
Blackburn reportedly have a one-year extension already placed on Hedges’ contract that can be triggered, but the club have reiterated their intentions to hand the wideman a brand-new deal, with negotiations expected to begin very soon over a deal that could run through to 2027.
Hyam is similarly out of contract heading into 2025 too, with Rovers also possessing a one-year extension, but there is no deadline to trigger it. The only way of any interference is if an overseas club approaches the defender in January over a pre-contract agreement.
With the 28-year-old getting over previous ankle issues that have disrupted his Rovers career, a surge in form in a similar style to his debut campaign is sure to make Blackburn want to extend his current three-year stint.
Both Hedges and Hyam have been instrumental to Blackburn’s rise up the Championship table, with the duo featuring in every second-tier game so far under Eustace.
Hyam has helped solidify the Rovers backline by playing every minute of Championship action so far, with his dominant presence and commanding leadership contributing to a run of five straight clean sheets from their last six consecutive victories.
Hedges, meanwhile, has been handed a mixture of starts and appearances on the substitutes bench but is likely to make a positive contribution in either role, as his level of performances continues to soar.
With Hedges and Hyam both adding their individual qualities at both ends of the pitch, it would seem a logical decision for Blackburn to extend their stays and keep such a positive run of momentum going heading into the second half of the campaign.