For the second half of the season, Blackburn Rovers are interested in loaning out Brentford full-back Fin Stevens, an insider exclusively told Football League World.The Wales youth international played in the EFL during his spells at Swansea City and Oxford United, who are currently in League One, where he is currently on loan.
This season, the 20-year-old has made 26 appearances for the U’s in all competitions, participating in the FA Cup, EFL Cup, EFL Trophy, and third division.
During the first part of his loan term at Kassam Stadium, he wasn’t one of the first names on the roster, but under Liam Manning, he developed into an important member of the first team.
Under his current manager, Des Buckingham, Stevens has also been a consistent starter, and the youthful defender is helping to keep the U’s in the running for promotion right now.
Joe Gelhardt, an out-of-favour forward for Hull City, has now been linked to two more Championship teams.
Despite the fact that Friday night’s 3-2 home loss to Derby County didn’t exactly help his resume, he shouldn’t give up on leading Oxford to the Championship just yet.
During his tenure with the third-tier team, he registered one goal and two assists; his lone goal came in the first few days of October against Shrewsbury Town.
The U’s won that game 3-0 thanks to a goal from Greg Leigh’s cross, and supporters of the third-tier team will be hoping to see him score goals frequently for the rest of the 2023–2024 season.
However, next month, he might be moving up to the second tier.
Fin Stevens is of interest to Blackburn Rovers.
As of this coming month, FLW is aware that Jon Dahl Tomasson is keeping an eye on Stevens.
For the Ewood Park team, Callum Brittain may be in good shape, but Joe Rankin-Costello is sidelined due to a hamstring ailment right now.
In addition, Rankin-Costello has occasionally been used up top, and they don’t have many choices at left defense, which is another reason why Stevens would be a good addition for Tomasson’s squad.
A cost for a Crewe center defender has been agreed upon by the Ewood Park club.
Rovers have been connected to Leeds United attacker Joe Gelhardt, suggesting that they are already active in the market.
They are not alone in the competition for the Whites’ attacker, though, as Preston North End of Lancashire and Hull City are also rumored to be in the running for “Joffy.”
In light of this, they appear to be working on other projects and have seen their loan bid for Orlando City striker Duncan McGuire—who is receiving a lot of attention for his performances in the US—rejected.
How Blackburn Rovers could benefit from having Fin Stevens
Rovers made only a few significant acquisitions during the summer transfer window, most of which were long-term agreements.
In light of this, they still have room to add additional loanees, and Stevens might be a very useful member of the squad.
Stevens might bring a winning mindset to the Ewood Park changing room, even though Oxford hasn’t been all that successful under Buckingham. He has been a member of a team that has been battling at the high end of a league this term.
| Blackburn Rovers – 2023/24 Signings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed From | Loan/Permanent |
| Leopold Wahlstedt | Odd | Permanent |
| Sondre Tronstad | Vitesse | Permanent |
| Niall Ennis | Plymouth Argyle | Permanent |
| Semir Telalovic | Borussia Monchengladbach | Permanent |
| Arnor Sigurdsson | CSKA Moscow | Loan |
| James Hill | AFC Bournemouth | Loan |
| Andy Moran | Brighton | Loan |
He might also contribute to Tomasson’s team strengthening their defense.
Oxford, meanwhile, will just be attempting to cling onto him and the other players they have on loan. Given that both James Beadle and Stevens have been essential this season, their losses would be severe.
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