Man Utd, Spurs, Newcastle plot transfer raid for Blackburn Rovers ace

Tom Atcheson has appeared on the radar of Premier League sides ahead of the summer window

Blackburn took a big step towards safety with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Birmingham City on Good Friday, with the result moving them six points clear of the relegation zone.

Whilst Rovers still have work to do to avoid relegation to League One, they have improved considerably since Michael O’Neill was appointed.

The win at St. Andrew’s means Blackburn have picked up seven points from their past three games, which included beating Millwall at The Den and drawing at home to Middlesbrough .

So, the fixtures haven’t been easy for O’Neill’s side, but their success has been built on solid defensive foundations, with the Northern Ireland chief quickly getting his message across to the group.

It has been a team effort to make Blackburn hard to beat, but there have been some impressive individual defensive displays, with Tom Atcheson standing out in recent weeks.

Having been briefly involved earlier in the season, the academy graduate came off the bench when Hayden Carter suffered an injury in the first half at Millwall, and he looked assured.

Atcheson then followed that up with two commanding displays against Boro and Birmingham , which have shown why the 19-year-old is so highly-rated by figures at Ewood Park.

It was revealed in the week that Blackburn had agreed a new ‘long-term’ contract with Atcheson, and fans will hope he can become a key player at the club moving forward.

However, despite that fresh contract, it seems a summer move could still be on the cards, as TEAMtalk claim there is plenty of interest in Atcheson from clubs across Europe.

They report that Man Utd are ‘keeping a close eye’ on the centre-back, who has been compared to Phil Jones, who made the same move in the past, with the ex-England international on O’Neill’s staff right now, and he is credited with helping Atcheson’s game.

It’s also said that Spurs, Newcastle, Brighton, Sunderland and Everton are monitoring the teenager, with Leipzig, Napoli, Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund also in the mix for his signature.

This is not the news that Blackburn fans would’ve wanted to hear, as whilst they recognise Atcheson is an enormous talent, they would hope they could’ve enjoyed him for a little longer.

That’s not to say he will leave in the summer, but this is a long list of clubs, and it could be difficult to retain him if serious offers arrive in the window.

In terms of his ability, it’s no surprise that some big clubs are taking notice, as, even though it’s very early days, Atcheson looks like a very capable defender.

Of course, there are areas to improve, but that will come in time, and these clubs clearly see him as someone who can develop into a top centre-back in the years to come.

Many will feel that Atcheson could benefit from another year or two at Ewood Park, but there will be fears that the Blackburn hierarchy could cash in for a fee that doesn’t reflect his true value.

So, this is something to watch in the summer, although Atcheson’s only concern right now will be to keep his place in the XI under O’Neill, and to help the team get more points on the board to ensure they stay in the league .