Blackburn boss admits he’d love to have French defender

31 January 2017

2 minute read

Two weeks ago, Sun reporter Alan Nixon said that two France-based defenders had told their respective clubs they wanted to leave for Blackburn Rovers.

Now the Lancashire Telegraph are reporting that Blackburn boss Owen Coyle would love to have one of them at the club. That player is RC Lens defender Abdoul Ba, who Coyle says: “He is one that I would like to bring in to the club, I have made no secret of that. t will come down to an agreement between the two clubs, and the finances involved, and that’s where we’re at with it.”

Blackburn have shown interest in 6ft 7in Mauritainian defender Ba before, having an initial bid rejected back in August, and with the 14-cap international now having said that he wants to come into English football with Blackburn, then you’d think that his arrival would be more of a formality needing a mere nod and a transfer agreement.

However, as Coyle intimates above, there is still that agreement needed between the two clubs before the left-sided, Mauritanian man-mountain is a Blackburn player.

Ba has made seven appearances for Lens this season, with six of these coming in the Ligue 2 competition with the imposing 22-year-old centre-back setting up one assist.

Nottingham Forest are a team that have recently been credited with an interest in also bringing in Ba, although their interest isn’t seen as being as strong as that of Blackburn.

Coyle’s side currently sit next-to-bottom in the Championship table on 25 points and effectively a win away from 21st place and safety from the immediate relegation places. They host high-flying Leeds United tomorrow night in a game where three points will prove important for both sides, albeit for differing reasons.