Key Blackburn Rovers figure slammed after sanctioning last-gasp Dominic Hyam, Wrexham transfer | OneFootball

FLW's Blackburn fan pundit has given his verdict on Dominic Hyam's deadline day departure

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Blackburn Rovers made a seemingly unpopular late transfer deadline day move by letting experienced defender Dominic Hyam depart for Championship rivals Wrexham.

According to the Lancashire Telegraph, the Scotland international centre-back made the move in a deal worth £2.7 million after three years at Ewood Park.

The 29-year-old was a key figure in Valerien Ismael’s side, and had played in every minute of this new Championship season prior to his exit.

The defender originally joined in the 2022 summer transfer window from Coventry City, and made a total of 122 Championship appearances for the Ewood Park outfit before signing for the Red Dragons.

Blackburn Rovers head of football ops Rudy Gestede criticised for Dominic Hyam sale

When asked about the sale of Hyam with no replacement coming in, FLW’s Blackburn fan pundit Simon Middlehurst blamed the club's current head of footballing operations - former striker Rudy Gestede - for making the whole squad worse over the summer.

He believes failing to even sign a replacement for the defender is a terrible decision, claiming the 29-year-old was the team’s best player last season.

“I don’t even know where to begin with this,” Middlehurst told Football League World.

“Rudy Gestede is stripping back the club, all that Championship experience that we’ve sold and brought in what can be described as second-rate Sunday league players at best.

“What an awful decision that is. He was our best player last season. Ever-present, and that fact that we’ve sold him without a replacement, I don’t even know where to begin with this.

“It's an absolutely awful decision.”

Selling Hyam without anyone coming in is really poor from Blackburn, particularly given how ever-present he’d become in the side.

A fee of £2.7 million is decent enough, but it’s not so much that it had to be accepted on deadline day for fear of not being able to get any more from him in the future,.

It’s been a questionable summer at Ewood Park, and some new signings still need time to adjust to their surroundings - plenty of those have come from overseas and have no experience of the Championship.

But it’s clear that Gestede and the top brass at the club are under pressure for results to improve, especially now that Hyam has been sold to a rival - if results don't pick up after the international break, then fan unrest could start to grow.