Blackburn Rovers: Middlesbrough target Callum Brittain has replicated Rudy Gestede actions with pre-season decision | OneFootball

Callum Brittain may have taken inspiration from Rudy Gestede as Middlesbrough hover

Blackburn Rovers full-back Callum Brittain is expected to leave the club this summer after pulling out of the club's pre-season fixture with Accrington Stanley this past weekend.

Rumours have swirled over the 27-year-old’s future throughout the summer window, with Wrexham, Derby County and Middlesbrough all reportedly vying for his signature.

Rovers boss Valerian Ismael recently revealed that the full-back refused to play in their pre-season friendly against Accrington, with Boro thought to be the most likely to secure his services after submitting a transfer bid.

Brittain still has a year left on his deal at Ewood Park, but has seemingly declined to accept a new contract offer in East Lancashire, despite the fact it was reported prior to Boro's approach that he was close to signing a new one.

Refusing to play can usually lead to players tarnishing their relationship with a club’s fanbase, as supporters rarely forget the way certain individuals decided to handle their exits.

These controversies can also lead the higher-ups involved with negotiations to become less willing to let a player leave on their terms, choosing to edge towards making ultimatums to benefit the selling side as much as possible.

However, in this scenario, those commencing transfer business at Blackburn Rovers might not have a leg to stand on, with current Head of Football Operations Rudy Gestede doing something very similar a number of years ago whilst a player at Ewood Park.

Callum Brittain has taken a leaf out of Rudy Gestede’s book as he looks for Blackburn Rovers exit

Rudy Gestede has been the head of operations at Ewood Park for just over a year now, and he hasn’t had the smoothest of rides in his first major off-field job.

Both he and former CEO Steve Waggott came under a lot of criticism last season for a number of reasons, including the appointment of Valerien Ismael as head coach to replace John Eustace, and the reluctance to spend the money earned from the sales of Adam Wharton and Sammie Szmodics - although that may be down to the budget set by the Venky's.

Blackburn have been left with a lot of business to do this summer due to a number of players entering precarious territory regarding their contract situations.

First-team regulars such as Danny Batth, Andreas Weimann and Tyrhys Dolan have all exited the club, with Brittain now using the short time left on his deal to manufacture a move away.

This will frustrate Gestede, but perhaps evoke a sense of Déjà vu.

A decade prior, the head of operations was operating out of Ewood Park, but as a player.

It was the January 2015 transfer window, and the then-26-year-old was in flying form, netting 12 times for Rovers at that point in the season.

This brought forward the interest of Premier League outfit Crystal Palace, who were willing to pay around £5 million for the striker.

To speed up this process, Gestede decided to make himself unavailable for a game against Wigan Athletic, citing the fact that he wasn’t in the right frame of mind as the reason for his absence.

The deal didn’t end up materialising, with the forward returning to actio and waiting until the summer to make his move away, where he signed for Aston Villa for £6 million.

However, his decision not to play against Wigan halfway through the season is arguably less forgivable than Brittain’s current stance.

And should there be criticism from the hierarchy at Ewood Park, then Gestede would not really have a leg to stand on if he were to theoretically condemn the full-back for his actions to try and push through a move to Boro.

Alternatively though, the head of operations might sympathise with the player and understand his reasoning, which could lead to the situation getting resolved sooner rather than later.

Blackburn Rovers won’t want their Callum Brittain situation to drag on

As pre-season preparations begin to ramp up, managers will want to utilise players who they know will be part of their squad for the upcoming season.

Similarly, Brittain won’t want to fall behind regarding match-sharpness, which will happen the longer he doesn’t feature in the friendly fixtures.

Therefore, both Rovers and the full-back will be hoping his sale can be completed sooner rather than later.

Blackburn will be able to use the money they bring in from his sale to reinvest in the squad and Brittain can begin to focus in life with his new employers.