“One to revisit in the summer” – Blackburn Rovers cast eyes over League One midfielder: The verdict

27/10/2022 15:46

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… Blackburn Rovers have been keeping a close eye on Shrewsbury Town midfielder Tom Bayliss this season, according to an exclusive report from Football League World. The 23-year-old has been in fine form since departing Preston North End in the summer, linking up with the Shrews and recording three goals and three assists in 15 league appearances so far this season. His contributions have helped to play a part in guiding his side to a midtable position – a strong position for the club to be in at this stage considering the quality of other teams around them. The midfielder’s contributions haven’t gone unnoticed, with Rovers and the Lancashire side’s league rivals Blackpool, Middlesbrough and Reading also believed to be monitoring his situation at this stage, though the latter won’t be able to make a move for him until the end of the season due to their current transfer restrictions. Looking specifically at Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Blackburn though, would he be a good signing for them? We asked three of our FLW writers to respond to this key question. Toby Wilding This feels like it might be a sensible move for Blackburn to make when the window reopens. There can be no denying that Rovers’ current crop of midfielder have done a largely impressive job this season, even when having to turn to young academy prospects such as Adam Wharton and Jake Garrett. However, a recent switch to a midfield three, while paying dividends, means there is more work to get through in the centre of the park, and Tomasson has recently expressed his reluctance to put too much of a demand on the likes of Wharton and Garrett at such an early stage of their careers. Adding another midfield option such as Bayliss would therefore provide the depth needed to ease the pressure on Tomasson on having to ask too much of certain players too soon. The 23-year-old’s ability to make an impact going forward also suggests he could fit in well with the style Rovers are looking to become more adept in going forward, and could make him an important player in the long term, once Tyler Morton’s loan from Liverpool comes to an end. With that in mind, it does look as though the signing of Bayliss is one that Blackburn should certainly be thinking about pursuing once the market reopens. Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson I think Bayliss has had a brilliant start to the season in League One. He’s put how things went at Preston behind him quickly and I think the fact a number of clubs are monitoring him at present is testament to how well he is currently playing. That said, though, Blackburn’s midfield is looking rather deep already. There are a number of young options at the club in the centre of the park in the likes of Adam Wharton, John Buckley, Tyler Morton, and Clinton Mola and that’s before you factor in the more established names of Lewis Travis, Bradley Dack and Sammie Szmodics. Indeed, there appear to already be options from the defensive midfield positions through to the attacking at Ewood Park. That said, if Blackburn sign Bayliss, they would clearly feel he is better than some of those above options, however, when everyone is fit, you do wonder whether or not he would be a regular starter. Adam Jones The 23-year-old is probably the sort of player Blackburn would target, as a potentially cheap addition who has plenty of room to grow into a much better asset. Able to operate in a defensive midfield position and in a more advanced role, he could be an excellent long-term replacement for Tyler Morton, though Rovers do need to be wary about potentially blocking the path of Adam Wharton. Wharton has already proved his worth at this level and they may be unwise to keep him on the bench or out of the matchday squad altogether in favour of Bayliss. Bayliss has done well in the final third this season though and could be seen as a potential alternative to the likes of Bradley Dack and Sammie Szmodics, though it remains to be seen whether the former remains at Ewood Park beyond the summer. If Dack does go, he could be an excellent addition, but this is probably one to revisit in the summer with the squad pretty settled now and the Shrewsbury man needing to be consistent if he wants to make the step up to the second tier. Source