"This was not expected" - Valerien Ismael drops new Blackburn Rovers transfer update | OneFootball

Rovers are now short at the back thanks to Hayden Carter's recent knock.

Valerien Ismael has confirmed that Blackburn Rovers are in the market for a new central defender.

Hayden Carter's hamstring injury has thrown a spanner into the Ewood Park works. Sean McLoughlin has not long been brought in on a permanent deal from Hull City, boosting the French boss' options in the middle of the backline.

However, the extent of Carter's problem, which may see him only get up to speed by early September, has left Rovers weaker than they'd like to be in this position.

McLoughlin, Dominic Hyam and Scott Wharton, who hasn't played a competitive match since April 2024 due to an ACL injury, are Ismael's only fit senior centre-halves; he wants four of them to start the season with, as per the Lancashire Telegraph.

The 49-year-old wants to see someone else brought through the doors to help boost the depth in this position on the pitch.

Valerien Ismael calls for specific Blackburn transfer action

"We feel as though it might be a little bit tight in that situation," said the Blackburn manager on his defensive options, via the Lancashire Telegraph. "We will assess the market, this was not expected. We have to be careful and really smart with our squad.

"We will assess clearly the position we need and prioritise to make sure we're not missing anything. We are still open on the centre-back position."

Ismael also admitted that the club are shopping for players in other positions too. He played a relatively straight bat when quizzed on the details of Rovers' ongoing pursuits, but he admitted that work also needs to be done to improve in the opposition's penalty area.

"I won't tell you about our discussions internally but we still have some work to do. I think it's clear that we have something to do on our front line. Other positions, I think that we need two or three more additions which would be perfect.

"The market is strange because on one side, there's lot of speed inside it. On the other hand, when you think you've got someone, everything slows down and it can take a long time. Or something surprising happens.

"We know that we have to add two or three more players and we will be perfect. If we can do it, we will. If not, we'll see what we can do."

Blackburn need swift action to address centre-back issue

Pre-season is one of the most frequent times in the footballing calendar for injuries. Because the players aren't up to speed, but are putting a lot of miles into their legs to try and get to that point, the risk is higher, and therefore the need for clubs to be on their toes.

Recruitment teams should always have a list of options ready to go in case something like Carter's injury occurs. With just under three weeks until their first game of the season, at home to West Bromwich Albion, Blackburn will need to act quickly to bring in a new centre-back to give them time to get ingratiated into the squad.