Exclusive: Sky pundit backs Birmingham City star to seal Blackburn Rovers deal - 'I don't think he'd be getting a sniff' | OneFootball

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has exclusively revealed that he feels Blackburn would benefit from making Taylor Gardner-Hickman a permanent recruit.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has revealed his belief that Blackburn Rovers would benefit from making their loan deal with Birmingham City midfielder Taylor Gardner-Hickman permanent.

Blackburn Rovers have made a fairly indifferent start to their 2025-26 season, but one of their summer loan signings has been coming good in the centre of their midfield.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman signed on loan for them in the summer transfer window from Birmingham, and has become a regular fixture in their central midfield, having made 14 appearances for them, of which 12 have been starts.

With the January transfer window now looming, Rovers have an opportunity to tie Gardner-Hickman down to a more permanent deal, so Football League World have spoken to the Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman about whether this would be a good move for Rovers and for the player himself.

"A win-win all round" - Don Goodman backs Taylor Gardner-Hickman permanent move for Blackburn

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Sky Sports Pundit Don Goodman has been impressed by the way in which this particular player has slotted in at Ewood Park, despite arriving at Blackburn Rovers so late in the summer transfer window: "I think Taylor Gardner-Hickman arrived pretty late in the window so missed a few of Blackburn Rovers' early games, but he's started 12 games since and he's been a little bit of a mainstay."

Goodman feels that the benefits to the player are clear; he's getting regular first-team football at Blackburn which he's unlikely to get should he return to his parent club, Birmingham City: "So from his perspective he's getting regular first-team football, he's obviously doing a solid job in the middle of that midfield for Valerien Ismael, and if he went back to Birmingham City I don't think he'd be getting a sniff, truth be told."

He feels that ultimately, making this loan move permanent would be a move that would benefit everybody concerned: "So I think it would be a win-win all round if Taylor Gardner-Hickman had the opportunity to sign for Blackburn Rovers on a permanent basis."

Taylor Gardner-Hickman has been a solid loan signing for Valerien Ismael and Blackburn Rovers

Taylor Gardner-Hickman has been a solid performer in the centre of the Blackburn Rovers midfield, with a string of consistent performances since his arrival from St Andrew's at the end of the summer transfer window.

Gardner-Hickman hasn't quite been able to settle at a club throughout his career, just yet. Originally a product of the academy system at West Bromwich Albion, he went on loan from The Hawthorns to Bristol City, impressed, and got a permanent deal there. But then he was loaned to Birmingham, impressed there, and made the deal permanent, only to be loaned out again to Blackburn.

This particular player could be considered a victim of Birmingham's success and ambition. Not all the players brought in to get the team out of League One will be considered suitable for getting them out of the Championship, and Gardner-Hickman's loan to Blackburn, if anything, is a reflection of the ambitions of that club. He also worked with Valerien Ismael before at West Bromwich Albion, so both the player and the manager are familiar with each other.

Blackburn have an option to have this loan deal permanent at the end of the season and it's already been confirmed by the Birmingham Mail that Rovers have already entered negotiations to get the deal tied down on a more permanent basis sooner than that. It would certainly make sense to tie the player down and make Gardner-Hickman a Rover once and for all.