"Wouldn't blame him" - Blackburn Rovers concern issued over wonderkid as Arsenal circle | OneFootball

Harvey Higgins is attracting interest from Arsenal, and there are fears he may follow in Rory Finneran's footsteps

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...

Despite having several massive clubs within an hour of their location, Blackburn Rovers have proudly brought through a number of young talents in recent times through their academy system - and it shows no sign of stopping.

With a Category One setup at Brockhall, the tools and coaches are there for youngsters to really shine at Ewood Park, and there's no fewer than five regular first-teamers in and around Valerien Ismael's first-team squad right now that have come through the setup.

There's also the ones that have departed for pastures new though, with the duo of David Raya and Adam Wharton making Blackburn several millions in recent years through transfer fees and sell-on clauses - and the next player to emerge from the ranks could very well be Harvey Higgins.

The 16-year-old forward has already made his debut for the club's under-21's, and earlier this season when he was 15, he was linked to Chelsea, Man United and Man City following his sparkling form for Rovers' youth sides.

Now though, according to Football Insider, another Premier League giant in the form of Arsenal are readying a move for Higgins' services, and it could follow a similar story to what happened to Rory Finneran last summer.

Having come through Blackburn's academy, Finneran made his first-team debut at the age of 15 in January 2024, but he turned down a scholarship with the club with a view to turning professional in order to move to Newcastle United for a fee that will be decided by tribunal - there may be fears that Higgins will follow in similar footsteps.

Blackburn Rovers: Harvey Higgins wouldn't be blamed if he took Arsenal opportunity

Already an England under-16's international, Higgins has featured three times for Blackburn's under-18's this season in the underage Premier League competition, and it's clear to see he has a bright future given all the interest.

And when asked as to whether Higgins' development would be better served by staying in Lancashire or moving to Arsenal, FLW's Rovers fan pundit Simon Middlehurst thinks that the pathway to first-team football at Ewood Park would be rewarding for Higgins if he proves good enough - but ultimately would not hold it against the teenager if he was wowed by the Gunners.

"Ideally, I think for his development he'd be better if he stayed at Blackburn for the time being," Shaun told FLW.

"Blackburn at the minute due to the squad size, and if you at this season alone, a lot of youth players, under-21's, under-18's etc have been included in matchday squads, which obviously is really good experience for them, and obviously we have got a good history of developing young players and going onto bigger club, you look at Adam Wharton and Ash Phillips over the last couple of years for example.

"Saying that though, you look at Arsenal's academy and their youth policy and the players they have brought through that have gone on to either be in the first-team or moved on or played internationally, you couldn't and wouldn't blame him for taking that opportunity.

"I can see it from both points of view, and it'll be really interesting to see how it plays out."

Harvey Higgins could look towards Chris Rigg, Sunderland situation as motivation for Blackburn Rovers decision

Being 16 now, you'd assume that Higgins is coming up to a crossroads moment in his very young career - whether or not to sign a two-year scholarship deal with Blackburn or to move on to a club like Arsenal.

Rory Finneran had the same decision last year and he opted to move on, and in recent weeks he's been starting for Newcastle's under-21's, which shows it's working out for him right now as he's playing above his age group.

That's not exactly guaranteed for every player though, and especially with a club like Arsenal, you're only likely to make a breakthrough into the first-team as a teenager if you're a generational talent, and there's not enough evidence to suggest that Higgins is at the levels of an Ethan Nwaneri.

The promising sign for Higgins at Blackburn is he's already been playing above his age group for the under-18's but also occasionally for the under-21's, but he's not made his first-team debut yet - Finneran had done so at this stage of his development, which suggests he may be ahead of Higgins.