Key Takeaways
- Blackburn Rovers vying with Swansea City for goalkeeper Carl Rushworth on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion.
- Rushworth impressed at Swansea, showing potential for a Premier League career.
- Blackburn close to securing Rushworth to fill goalkeeper void ahead of August 30 deadline.
Blackburn Rovers are pushing to beat Swansea City to the signing of Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carl Rushworth on loan after the Premier League side made him available to other clubs.
That’s according to Alan Nixon via Patreon, who has said that the Seagulls are happy to let the 23-year-old out for the season, following the return of Bart Verbruggen from injury.
Blackburn are trying to bring the goalkeeper in before the August 30 deadline, with John Eustace still in need of a number one, with Aynsley Pears currently taking the gloves at Ewood Park after sharing responsibility with Leopold Wahlstedt due to an injury of his own last season.
Nixon has also said that Swansea are interested in Rushworth after the Brighton youngster spent the 2023/24 campaign in South Wales.
Nevertheless, Rovers are looking to make a deal happen, while they wait for news from Newcastle United over the availability of John Ruddy.
Chris Sutton has given his view on what Blackburn Rovers can achieve in the Championship this season.
Rushworth was extremely competent at Swansea
Rushworth played every minute of the Championship campaign for the Swans, recording ten clean sheets despite giving up sixty-five goals.
Swansea’s midtable mediocrity was mostly caused by their lack of goals and inconsistent play, as they ended 14th in the league.
Still, Rushworth recorded a save percentage of 68.8% with 143 total saves. But it was his ability to win the ball in the air that really stood out; he took 35 high claims, a figure that might interest Eustace after Blackburn’s inability to handle Derby County’s corners in the season’s opening match.
Rushworth, who is 23 years old, needs playing experience in order to grow into a future custodian in the Premier League, and the Championship is the ideal venue for that to occur.
The Halifax-born shot-stopper has previously been on loan in League One with Lincoln City, and League Two, playing for Walsall, and has improved year-on-year.
He sat on the bench for Brighton’s 3-0 win over Everton in the Premier League last weekend, but with Verbruggen’s return, there is no longer a space for him in the squad.
| Carl Rushworth Swansea City Stats (FotMob) | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 46 |
| Goals Conceded | 65 |
| Clean Sheets | 10 |
| Save Percentage | 68.8% |
| Goals Prevented | 4.02 |
Blackburn’s hunt for a goalkeeper could soon be over
Blackburn have been looking for a goalkeeper all summer, with Daniel Iversen and Ruddy two players that they have taken particular interest in.
However, Iversen’s high wages and transfer fee has put Rovers off, according to Nixon, and at this point in the window, it looks more likely that Eustace will bring in a goalkeeper on loan rather than permanently.
They have been targeting Ruddy for the last month, after he originally snubbed the Championship club for a move to Newcastle at the start of the window.
Nevertheless, the news of Rushworth’s availability looks to have excited Eustace, who will need to act fast to beat Swansea to the capture of the 23-year-old.
Nixon has also reported that Brighton did want to put a promotion bonus inn the deal, with Sheffield United the intended destination originally, but the signing of Michael Cooper at Bramall Lane has given Blackburn clearance to loan in Rushworth.
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