Derby County may have been handed a boost in their chase for Callum Brittain after Valerien Ismael’s latest comments.
John Eustace has targeted his former side in Blackburn Rovers for multiple transfers since arriving in February of this year. He helped The Rams secure survival on the final day of the Championship season, and has since pinched both Andreas Weimann and Danny Batth from Ewood Park.
Brittain Makes Stance
According to Valerien Ismael, when speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph yesterday, Rovers are expecting their 27-year-old full-back to leave after he refused to play against Accrington Stanley in their latest pre-season outing. This stalemate comes after Blackburn offered new contract terms to the former Barnsley man, but due to being subject to bids from both Derby and Middlesbrough, he has rejected a deal and has opted against playing in pre-season.
“We’ve got an offer on the table. Callum decided not to play today on his own,”
“He took this decision. So I spoke with him. I said we can let this game pass but from next week, we hope to have clarity.
“We can’t do this every week. In the next few days, we will see what is happening. It’s clear that some clubs are very interested, especially one that is very interested in Callum. Nothing has been agreed yet.
“The clubs need to understand that Callum is a significant player for us, for me personally as well. So we don’t want to let him go. But it’s clear that, financially, the club needs to make a deal because of his contract.
With one year remaining on his contract, both Derby and Boro have pounced to sign Brittain, but would have strong competition in the right-back position should he move to either side.
Writers’ View
Callum Brittain has begun his own strike in order to facilitate a move away from Blackburn Rovers, and this is the clearest evidence yet that he wants out of Ewood Park. With former boss John Eustace calling at Derby, it seems that his new team is a straightforward decision but of course Middlesbrough is an alluring prospect in their own right. With Anfernee Dijksteel leaving the Riverside, Brittain would only have Luke Ayling as first-team competition next season for Rob Edwards.
