Blackburn Rovers have declared their transfer stance on the 20-year-old.
Eustace has no intention of letting the ace leave the club this summer.
Sammie Szmodics saved Blackburn Rovers from relegation with his goal-scoring prowess, earning the Championship golden boot in the process.
Despite his limited playing time, Connor O’Riordan is projected to play a larger part for Rovers in the upcoming 2024/25 season.
Blackburn manager John Eustace is determined to keep O’Riordan at the club, believing in his abilities and seeing him as an important player in the future.
Despite a difficult 2023/24 Championship campaign, Blackburn Rovers maintained their second-tier status with a 2-0 victory over newly crowned champions Leicester City.
Ewood Park has witnessed a rough season, with former manager Jon Dahl Tomasson leaving the club by mutual consent in February.
Rovers were able to avoid relegation owing to Ireland international Sammie Szmodics’ 27 goals, which earned him the Championship golden boot.
Fittingly, Szmodics led his team to safety by scoring twice at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon, including an insurance goal in the 94th minute.
Aside from the Irishman’s excellent displays, the Lancashire club has had few bright spots this season, but the purchase of former Crewe sensation Connor O’Riordan in January may speak well for Rovers’ future.
| Connor O’Riordan lack of minutes at Blackburn (FotMob) | |
|---|---|
| Starts | 0 |
| Appearances | 2 |
| Minutes played | 40 |
Since joining the club, the 20-year-old has made only two appearances, both as a substitute in a February win over Stoke and a loss to now-relegated Birmingham.
Amid O’Riordan’s lack of first-team minutes at Rovers, Alan Nixon reported via Patreon that the Ewood Park club was considering deploying the youngster who was loaned out this summer, but the Lancashire Telegraph revealed on Tuesday that Blackburn manager John Eustace is keen on keeping the defender.
Eustace’s transfer stance on O’Riordan was exposed.
According to the Lancashire Telegraph, Blackburn manager Eustace has no plans to let the ace leave the club this summer, and he told the publication in March that “the club wouldn’t have signed him if they didn’t think he could have a big future.”
“The club have done their homework on the players and I believe Connor will have a big future at this club.”
Prior to joining Rovers, the Crewe academy product made 23 League Two appearances in the first half of the 2023/24 season, scoring three times.
The 2024/25 season may bring O’Riordan with additional first-team minutes.
Given O’Riordan’s youth and lack of Championship experience before to joining Rovers, it would have been a significant risk for Eustace to throw him into the deep end and place the 20-year-old at the forefront of a relegation struggle.
But now that the Lancashire club has averted the ignominy of a League One return, they may look forward to the 2024/25 season with more hope, and the start of a new season may present O’Riordan with first-team opportunities.
Given that Rovers recruited the experienced Kyle McFadzean from Coventry City in January, perhaps it was always obvious that O’Riordan would not be a first-team player in such testing circumstances.
Furthermore, Eustace recently acknowledged that he wants to keep McFadzean, who signed a contract until the end of the season, so the 37-year-old might play alongside O’Riordan next season.
Given that the 37-year-old has almost 600 senior football matches to his name, he might provide O’Riordan with mentoring and direction next season, despite his absence from the team this season.
