Opinion: Blackburn Rovers must act as Leeds and Newcastle interest emerges in key figure | OneFootball

After meandering their way to a 15th place finish in the Championship last season, Blackburn Rovers have experienced an extraordinary transformation at this level in recent months.

Rovers fans must have been fearing the worst when the club sold Adam Armstrong to Southampton as the forward’s goalscoring escapades helped their side stay out of trouble during the previous campaign.

However, thanks to Tony Mowbray’s tactical nous, Blackburn have gone to excel in the absence of Armstrong.

Particularly impressive in an attacking sense this season, Rovers have managed to find the back of the net on 45 occasions as Sam Gallagher and Ben Brereton Diaz have delivered the goods in-front of goal.

Yet one of the key reasons behind the club’s recent resurgence has been the form illustrated by their centre-backs.

Since suffering a 7-0 defeat at the hands of Fulham, Blackburn have managed to prevent their opponents from scoring in eight of their last 10 league games.

Darragh Lenihan has featured in all of these aforementioned fixtures and is currently thriving alongside Scott Wharton and Jan Paul van Hecke in the heart of the club’s defence.

As a result of the defender’s impressive performances in the Championship, he has recently become the subject of a great deal of transfer speculation.

According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle United and Leeds United are both believed to be keeping tabs on Lenihan ahead of a potential swoop in the summer transfer window.

credited with interest in the Rovers man.

culmination of the current term and thus he will be available on a free transfer if he doesn’t sign a new deal.

A report from Lancs Live last month suggested that whilst Lenihan was keen to extend his stay at Blackburn, he will only be willing to commit his future to the club if he receives a better salary.

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Ben Brereton Diaz?

Taking this into consideration, it could be argued that Blackburn simply have to try and fend off interest from the likes of Newcastle and Leeds by offering the defender fresh terms.

Given that Lenihan is currently averaging a club-high WhoScored match rating of 7.25 in the Championship, it is fair to say that the consistency of his performances at this level certainly warrant a lucrative deal.

If the 27-year-old does indeed reach an agreement with his side in the not too distant future, he could go on to achieve a great deal of success at Blackburn as the club eye a return to the Premier League.