Opinion: 25-year-old could be ideal Joe Rothwell replacement at Blackburn Rovers | OneFootball

The Blackburn Rovers starting 11 could look very different at the start of the 2022-23 Championship season than it did this past season, with a number of players out of contract and potentially some to be cashed in on this summer.

You can imagine that Ben Brereton Diaz will attract a ton of interest following his 22-goal salvo for Rovers and his exploits on the international stage, with the Chilean coming into the final year of his contract at Ewood Park.

Then there are the individuals whose deals are expiring this summer, with the futures of Ryan Nyambe and captain Darragh Lenihan up in the air.

One player who we already know is leaving Blackburn is Joe Rothwell, who after four years is moving on for a new challenge, just months after Rovers rejected a seven-figure offer from AFC Bournemouth.

Rothwell was instrumental in Blackburn’s promotion challenge this season for as long as it lasted, scoring three times and providing 10 assists in 41 games, and that kind of creativity is going to be missed.

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The search for his replacement must go on though, and the ideal man to arrive in place of the ex-Manchester United man may have just been transfer listed by Fulham in the form of Josh Onomah.

The 25-year-old had a top academy upbringing at Tottenham Hotspur, playing 13 times in the Premier League for them as a youngster before gaining EFL experience on loan with both Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday.

Onomah failed to make the grade though as Spurs and in 2019 he was used as makeweight in a deal for teen prodigy Ryan Sessegnon.

The midfielder played pretty regularly in his debut season with the Cottagers, scoring four times in 34 Championship appearances for the club, but Premier League outings the following campaign were limited to just 11.

Having become a bit-part player under Marco Silva this past season, appearing just 20 times in the Championship with the majority coming off the bench, it was no surprise to see a report stating that Fulham will listen to offers for Onomah this summer upon their return to the top flight.

At his best, Onomah is a classy second tier player who can make things tick in the middle of the park, but he also has an eye for goal at the same time and is also a decent ball-winner.

With his size and presence as well, Onomah would fit well into Blackburn’s midfield, but it all depends on who Tony Mowbray’s replacement is.

Onomah shouldn’t struggle getting a new Championship club regardless due to the experience he has in promotion-winning teams, and at the age of 25 he still has time on his side to be a leading player getting regular minutes for someone in the second tier.