Blackburn boss makes admission over exit

Jon Dahl Tomasson has admitted that he tried to persuade Ryan Nyambe to stay put with Blackburn Rovers before the defender joined Wigan Athletic this summer.

The Lowdown: Nyambe leaves Blackburn

The 24-year-old was a great servant for Rovers, making 201 appearances and being described as ‘fantastic’ by the club’s former manager Tony Mowbray.

Nyambe’s time at Ewood Park came to an end during the summer, with the right-back completing a move to fellow Championship side Wigan.

It was a loss for Rovers but a fresh challenge seemingly appealed to the Namibian after being at Blackburn since he was 13 years of age, having turned down the offer of a new deal at Rovers before his departure.

The Latest: Tomasson admits regret

Speaking to Lancs Live, Tomasson admitted that he tried to talk Nyambe into staying at Blackburn beyond the summer, but he couldn’t change the player’s mind.

The Blackburn manager revealed:

“I spoke with Ryan, I would have liked Ryan to stay. I think if you look at the numbers that have gone away, they were players that have played a lot.

“We had to get new players in and now we have six or seven new players in the starting XI compared to last season. It is not a problem but we must always remember in our mind, that’s why I say it is about passion and patience in a project.”

The Verdict: Could be a big loss

Nyambe was such a consistent presence for Blackburn over a long period of time, starting at least 30 league games in each of the past three campaigns, so his presence in the defence could be a big loss moving forward.

Granted, Rovers have got by fairly well without him so far, sitting seventh in the table after eight matches, but 11 goals conceded in that time suggests that they aren’t as solid at the back. The situation hasn’t been helped by Tomasson having to field players out of position at right-back lately due to a lack of available natural options.

At 24, Nyambe also likely still has his peak years well ahead of him, so it is such a shame to see him spend those away from Blackburn as he matures from a promising young talent into a formidable defender.