Blackburn Rovers Director of Football Gregg Broughton has revealed Brighton and Hove Albion defender Jan Paul van Hecke wanted to stay put at the Amex Stadium this summer and fight for his place, making this admission to Lancs Live.

The 22-year-old was a big hit with Blackburn's supporters during his time at Ewood Park last season, recovering well from his red card against Fulham last November to become a popular figure in Lancashire.

Starring alongside Darragh Lenihan and Scott Wharton, he was nearly able to guide Rovers into the play-offs against all odds, though the Lancashire outfit failed to capitalise on a favourable set of fixtures during the latter stages of the season.

 

 

With this, many would have thought the Dutchman would have been open to a return, not just because he arguably has unfinished business at the club but also because he had a great chance to be one of the first names on the teamsheet again.

Broughton has told Lancs Live that he contacted Brighton regarding a potential return for the defender, at a time when they were yet to bring in Dominic Hyam and Clinton Mola with Darragh Lenihan leaving the club, leaving them short of options in this area.

But van Hecke was keen to fight for a prominent role on the south coast.

This is according to Rovers' Director of Football, who said: "We spoke to Brighton straight away when I came in about that.

"We always felt that was an unlikely one. His preferred option was to stay at Brighton and try and establish himself in the Premier League.

"The longer the window went on, the more likely it seemed it could happen. Jon and I had a zoom meeting with JP and his representatives with Brighton present as well.

"Had a loan become available from Brighton, we would have had a chance of that. But JP's preferred option was to stay at Brighton and establish himself in the Premier League."

The Verdict:

This would have been a difficult decision for the defender because he would want to be playing as much as possible and he would have had the chance to do that at Ewood Park.

However, with Matt Clarke leaving for Middlesbrough on a permanent basis, he has a better chance of getting some playing minutes under his belt and could potentially be a regular under Roberto De Zerbi.

Although Graham Potter's departure is a blow with the current Chelsea defender getting to know the Dutchman over the summer - the new manager may decide to give him a chance to shine.

And there's always the January window if he doesn't manage to play as much as he wants to, with the Seagulls potentially willing to sanction another loan deal if he pushes for it.

At the moment though, the 22-year-old will be enjoying the thrill of training with Premier League-quality players and you can only think that will benefit his development, though game time will also be required if he wants to fulfil his potential.