Filed under: Blackburn Rovers, Premier League, Football
Allowing Phil Jones to join Manchester United can be considered a decent piece of transfer business for Blackburn - as well as Sir Alex Ferguson.After all, Jones had not even burst onto the first team scene at Ewood Park this time two years ago yet the 19-year-old Academy graduate departs having earned the Lancashire club a fee of around £16.5 million.
But Blackburn's owners Venky's must, repeat must, realise that it is now more important than ever that they hold on to Arsenal target Chris Samba.
Manager Steve Kean does not have to look far to fill the void created by Jones's departure.
Ryan Nelsen is expected to be fit for the start of the season after undergoing a knee operation which ruled him out of the last six games of his team's survival battle.
And Kean can also call on 19-year-old Grant Hanley, likened to Blackburn's former 'braveheart' Colin Hendry after making his senior Scotland debut last month, to plug the gap left by Jones.
Blackburn's fans are used to seeing Gael Givet appear at left-back yet the former French international is more than capable of playing centre-back.
No, Jones's loss is not a disaster - as long as Samba remains.
Those Rovers fans upset by his move to Old Trafford should think again.
Bigger clubs than Blackburn have lost players to United so why begrudge a teenager, who still lives at home with his parents, the opportunity of joining the champions? It is the stuff of dreams.
Even Rovers striker Jason Roberts backed Jones's move to United.
"I would like to wish Phil Jones all the very best," said Roberts on his Twitter account. "He has been great for us and will be missed by all of us (not for his banter though!)."
But Rovers have to resist cashing in on Samba.
Having missed out on Jones, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has now turned his attention to the Blackburn captain, as well as Bolton's Gary Cahill, in an effort to plug the defensive leaks that proved so costly to his team last season.
After arriving from Hertha Berlin in January 2007 for just £450,000, Samba has proved one of Blackburn's best buys in recent times.
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