Valerien Ismael shares significant Blackburn Rovers contract concern that will only worry supporters

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Blackburn Rovers head into their final game of the season with a real chance of moving into the play-off places with a win following Bristol City’s 4-0 defeat to Leeds United on Monday evening.

Valerien Ismael’s side are just two points behind the Robins, who occupy fifth-place, while Coventry City and Millwall sit only one point above them in sixth and seventh respectively.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
5	Bristol CityBristol City	45	17	16	12	57	53	4	67
6	CoventryCoventry	45	19	9	17	62	58	4	66
7	MillwallMillwall	45	18	12	15	46	46	0	66
8	BlackburnBlackburn	45	19	8	18	52	47	5	65
9	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	45	18	10	17	64	54	10	64
10	West BromWest Brom	45	14	19	12	52	44	8	61

Few would have foreseen this upturn in form for Rovers, as they lost five of their first seven matches with the Frenchman in the dugout, but they have now won four successive matches in the Championship to reignite their hopes of finishing in the top six.

However, there will be fears over the contract situation of one key start at Ewood Park, and Ismael, who had been under pressure until recently, has spoken of his worry about being able to keep hold of the player in question once this campaign comes to an end.

Tyrhys Dolan’s contract situation is worrying Valerien Ismael

Tyrhys Dolan’s future at Blackburn has been debated throughout the 2024/25 campaign, with the winger set to leave the club in the summer if he is not able to agree a new deal with the club that he has called home since 2020.

With there potentially just one game to go for the 23-year-old in blue-and-white, work has already started to try and entice him to stay in Lancashire past the conclusion of this season but his manager is not overly-confident.

Rovers’ owners, The Venky’s, do not usually like to spend heavily, and Ismael believes that this could be an issue in any contract talk with Dolan. He said (via: Lancashire Telegraph): “So we talked to him, we talked with his agent. We will make an offer. So we will be in the battle.

“I know that he will take his time, for sure. He put himself in that situation where he can wait till the end of the season, go in on holidays and assess the situation, what will be for you. We have to be patient on that one.

“It makes sense. But I won’t say that we are the first on his list. The only thing I can say, we give him the love he needs.”

Ismael continued: “He knows the environment he has. He knows now the way we want to play. We suit him perfectly.

“Now he’s much more dangerous. We put him higher on the pitch in those areas when he can be more effective. So I think in his decision it will be important that he plays for next season.

“If he’s playing and enjoys his environment then we have a good chance. If it’s about money, big money, then I’m not sure that we are in the first place.”

Premier League football may be able to rescue Blackburn in the fight for Dolan

Rovers travel to Bramall Lane on Saturday to face Sheffield United as they look to leapfrog Millwall and Coventry to finish in a play-off spot, while they will also be hoping for a favour from Lancashire rivals Preston North End as they face Bristol City.

Blackburn must beat the Blades to have a chance at the play-offs, and if they are able to finish in the top six and carry their momentum through, then they may just have that shot at the top flight that they looked as though they had missed out on following John Eustace’s departure.

Promotion may be the only way to keep hold of Dolan, with such a huge financial gap between the Championship and Premier League, and supporters will be keen to see their number 10 return for another year.

With seven goals and six assists to his name in the league in 2024/25, the ex-Preston youth player will only be an asset to Blackburn going forward, but it is clear to see that Ismael is realistic about his chances of keeping hold of him and others in the division will be ready to pounce if he does depart.