Transfer stance emerges on Blackburn Rovers figure’s future

Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley has revealed he would like to keep Blackburn Rovers centre-back Hayden Carter at Fratton Park beyond the end of this campaign, making this transfer admission to Hampshire Live.

The 22-year-old arrived on the south coast in the middle stages of last month on a loan deal until the end of the season after being frozen out at Ewood Park, even with Tony Mowbray often opting to utilise a back-three system.

Carter had made a respectable nine league appearances for the Lancashire outfit prior to his move down to League One – but the likes of captain Darragh Lenihan, Jan Paul van Hecke, Scott Wharton and Daniel Ayala are all preferred options – allowing the centre-back to ply his trade elsewhere temporarily.

He has already been a success under manager Cowley, helping Pompey to keep three clean sheets in their last six league matches and proving to be a real asset alongside Sean Raggett and Clark Roberton at the heart of the defence.

Unfortunately for the third-tier outfit, it seems as though the defender has only joined on a basic temporary agreement with no option to make this agreement a permanent one at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

However, 43-year-old Cowley has already made his transfer stance clear on the Blackburn man, potentially foreshadowing a possible further move in the summer.

Speaking yesterday evening, Pompey’s boss said: “I like Hayden, I think he’s a really good player.

“I don’t want to shout it too much because I would like to keep him. He’s a good player, there is no doubt.

“He is going to have a great career, he’s a great kid, very level headed. We’re adding to his game, he’s humble.

“He wants to work, he wants to improve and he’s been a pleasure.”

The Verdict:

Bringing him in