"Interesting" - Pundit reacts to £250k Richie Wellens news as Blackburn Rovers eye Orient raid | OneFootball

EFL pundit Carlton Palmer has weighed in on the news that Blackburn Rovers are eyeing a move for Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens

EFL pundit Carlton Palmer has weighed in on the news that Blackburn Rovers are eyeing a move for Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens but will have to pay £250k compensation to his current club to acquire the 44-year-old's services.

Rovers currently sit within the Championship play-off places with just 13 games left to play and have won both of their last two fixtures despite the exit of former manager John Eustace, who left to join relegation-threatened Derby County last week.

The Lancashire club emerged victorious against both West Bromwich Albion and Plymouth Argyle under the stewardship of caretaker boss David Lowe but are now searching for a permanent Eustace replacement.

According to Alan Nixon, Rovers are interested in appointing Wellens as their new boss but will have to pay Orient £250k in order to do so.

Palmer offers opinion as Blackburn eye Wellens move

Football League World asked the pundit whether Blackburn should appoint Wellens despite his compensation fee.

Palmer said: "Blackburn Rovers will need to pay Leyton Orient £250k compensation to appoint Richie Wellens.

"He's doing a fantastic job, losing one of his last 14 league matches and picking up 35 points out of a possible 42, which sees Leyton Orient sitting in a League One play-off position.

"So he has done very well.

"A lot of people are looking at him.

"He's a very, very good young manager.

"It'll be one of those.

"If they're going to pay compensation for him, he's also going to look at it.

"Blackburn are doing really well, people will say 'yes they've won their last two games'.

"They beat West Brom, and then they followed it up with a 2-0 victory against Plymouth, and that's while the manager's gone in Eustace.

"So it shows what John Eustace has built at the football club, that togetherness and everything that's there.

"Obviously, it's an attractive opportunity to get them promotion.

"I would have thought that Richie Wellens would be digging a little bit deeper before jumping ship to see why two previous managers, in Jon Dahl Tomasson and now with John Eustace, leaving the club when the club's in a really good position.

"It's alright short term, but it's long term having the backing of the owners and the owners don't really get involved with the football side of it anymore, they don't come to the games or whatever.

"I think it's a difficult job to go into, and I think managers would be wary.

"It will be interesting to see whether Blackburn Rovers are willing to pay the compensation and whether Richie Wellens will look to move on, because if he's not given assurances, and they obviously weren't given to John Eustace, because there's no way you're leaving a football club in the position that he's got them to if he's given assurances about strengthening the side and future plans, then Richie Wellens might as well continue to do what he's doing at Leyton Orient and wait for another opportunity which will come his way."

Wellens should be wary of making Blackburn switch

As alluded to by Palmer, two talented managers in Tomasson and Eustace, have recently left Blackburn amid the controversial ownership of the club overseen by the Venky's.

Eustace guided the Lancashire club to a play-off spot with the business end of the season left to play, in favour of joining relegation-threatened Derby, which infers that his departure was not down to footballing reasons.

Wellens won the League Two title with current club Orient in 2023, and currently has an incredible opportunity to guide the side to a League One play-off spot just two years later.

Swapping that scenario for that of a Blackburn side who are suffering from ownership issues may not be a risk worth taking for the 44-year-old, who has not yet managed in the Championship.