West Brom and Blackburn Rovers eye Oxford United raid | OneFootball

Cameron Brannagan has been a key player for the U's in recent seasons, but is entering the final year of his contract with the club.

Highlights

Championship duo West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers are weighing up moves for Oxford United midfielder Cameron Brannagan, as the U's promotion hero enters the final 12 months of his contract.

That is according to respected journalist Pete O'Rourke via X on Monday evening, in what would be a huge blow to the newly promoted second tier side.

Brannagan has been a creative force for Oxford over the years, and arguably put in his most impressive all-round campaign of his U's career last season, registering a double-figure goals and assists return for the first time in his career.

However, Oxford's 2023/24 Supporters' Player of the Year is heading into the final year of his contract, and clubs have spotted an opportunity to secure a potential bargain.

Reporting via his X account this week, O'Rourke has revealed that West Brom and Blackburn are preparing to make their respective moves for Oxford's star midfielder.

Interest in the 28-year-old is nothing new for the U's, as when the former Liverpool man inked his current deal with the club back in 2022, Brannagan revealed: "My contract said that if a club meets the trigger valuation then I am entitled to go and talk to them, and I appreciate Oxford allowing me to consider my options.

"I was flattered to be approached and I have so much respect for that club and wish them well for the future. But at the same time all I kept thinking about was what we are building at Oxford and how much I owe the club and the fans.

"I love living in the area, I love playing for the club and in the end I am happy here. I want to play in the Championship, of course I do, but I believe I can do that with Oxford so let’s get on with the job."

He was right to believe that playing in the second tier with Oxford was possible, and after staying committed and putting in so much effort to achieve that goal, it would surely be a surprise to see the versatile midfielder force through a move this summer.

The question will be for Oxford's hierarchy is whether he would have any interest in signing a further extension to his contract at some point before the end of the 2024/25 season, as they will likely not want to risk losing him on a free.

It may, then, be a case of Brannagan seeing how his team start the Championship season, and if things are going well, he could then decide to extend what will be his eighth year as an Oxford player.

If, however, Des Buckingham's side get off to a rocky start and look to be in for a long season, the former Fleetwood Town man could then decide that he needs to leave the football club in order to remain playing at the level he's worked hard to reach.

Brannagan would be shrewd business for either club

It's not hard to see what Brannagan would bring to either West Brom or Blackburn Rovers - goals and assists from central midfield.

Operating in the role of a box-to-box midfielder, Brannagan provides the link between attack and defence in Buckingham's team, with almost everything the U's do running through him.

Indeed, out of all the players in his position in League One last season, no player created more chances (88), completed more successful crosses (88), or more shots (115).

Whilst only 2.8% of players in his position had more successful passes than his 1,843, only 1.7% had more touches than Brannagan's 2,961, whilst just 2.3% had a greater number of recoveries than his 290 - per FotMob.

In simpler terms, Brannagan is at the centre of everything Oxford United do, and losing him would significantly hamper their survival chances, whilst boosting that of Blackburn's and bolstering West Brom's expected promotion push.

Brannagan would possibly have more of an impact in Rovers' squad than the Baggies', however, as Albion are already in possession of numerous high output players through the middle, such as John Swift, Grady Diangana and Jed Wallace.

Whereas Blackburn would surely see Brannagan as the natural replacement for Championship golden boot winner Sammie Szmodics, who could leave Ewood Park this summer.

With Rovers operating on a tight budget this summer, securing a potentially cut-price deal for Brannagan would be fantastic business for the club.