Blackburn Rovers defender Tyler Magloire is set to join League One Rochdale on a season-long loan deal, Football Insider have reported.
Magloire featured twice for Rovers' first-team last summer, playing the full 90 minutes of the 3-0 home win over Wigan and 4-2 away defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in the midst of a defensive injury crisis at the Lancashire club.
The 20-year-old also captained Blackburn's Under 23s side last season, guiding them to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League 2, following their promotion to the top tier of English youth football the season before.
Now, it looks as though the defender could be set for a more regular spell of first-team football this season, with Rochdale reportedly seeing off interest from a number of other Football League clubs to bring Magloire to Spotland.
There are currently three years remaining on Magloire's current contract at Ewood Park, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2022.
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Magloire will not be the first defender to leave Rovers on loan this summer, with fellow centre back Scott Wharton having already joined League Two Northampton Town on a season-long loan.
The Verdict
I've got to say I'm rather torn on this one.
Regular first-team football for Magloire can only be a good thing, and you feel this will benefit him as an individual, but it feels like Blackburn are playing with fire here.
It was a lack of senior options in defence that first brought Magloire into first-team contention last season, and having only added Manchester City loanee Tosin Adarabioyo to the squad in that area, it feels as though Rovers are risking leaving themselves short in that area again.
Even when their senior options were fit, defence was a big issue for the club last season, and their far from impressive performance in that area in the opening day defeat to Charlton suggests that it could be the same story this season.
It seems inevitable therefore, that questions will be asked by plenty of Rovers fans if the hugely promising Magloire is allowed to leave without the club adding to their backline before the close of the window on Thursday.