{"id":43276,"date":"2026-02-15T01:09:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T06:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/15\/man-united-and-arsenal-in-talks-over-fantastic-blackburn-deal\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T01:09:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T06:09:16","slug":"man-united-and-arsenal-in-talks-over-fantastic-blackburn-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/15\/man-united-and-arsenal-in-talks-over-fantastic-blackburn-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Man United and Arsenal in talks over &#8216;fantastic&#8217; Blackburn deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/15\/man-united-and-arsenal-in-talks-over-fantastic-blackburn-deal\/#ONeill_%E2%80%98grateful_for_Blackburn_opportunity\" >O&#8217;Neill &#8216;grateful&#8217; for Blackburn opportunity<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/15\/man-united-and-arsenal-in-talks-over-fantastic-blackburn-deal\/#Ranking_of_EFL_Championship_stadiums_by_atmosphere_2026\" >Ranking of EFL Championship stadiums by atmosphere (2026)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Blackburn Rovers face the possibility of losing one of their most promising players in the Premier League after the arrival of Michael O&#8217;Neill.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"o-39-neill-quot-grateful-quot-for-blackburn-opportunity\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ONeill_%E2%80%98grateful_for_Blackburn_opportunity\"><\/span>\n                        <strong>O&#8217;Neill &#8216;grateful&#8217; for Blackburn opportunity<\/strong><br \/>\n               <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With time running out to save the season, Blackburn decided to sack manager Valerian Ismael and asked Northern Ireland manager O&#8217;Neill to share the role and keep the team in the Championship.<\/p>\n<p>The appointment was to be controversial given how hopeless Rovers&#8217; position is and O&#8217;Neill&#8217;s dual responsibilities in two different jobs, but the veteran manager nevertheless struck a deal on the dotted line.<\/p>\n<p>After agreeing a short-term deal, O&#8217;Neill told the club&#8217;s website: <em>\u201cI would like to thank the Football Association of Ireland for their support and cooperation in giving me this opportunity.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cBlackburn Rovers are a historic Premier League winning club with a proud tradition and the opportunity to work for such a prestigious club felt important to me.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThe immediate focus is clear: there will be challenges in the final stages of the season and the aim is to help the team build momentum and move up in the Championship.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;From a professional point of view, it&#8217;s always valuable to get back on the training pitch every day and take part in the rhythm of matches and club football. It keeps you sharp and connected to the demands of the game at this level.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;For now, my focus is to give my all to Blackburn Rovers over the coming weeks. I know what this club means to our supporters and I look forward to working with the players and staff to deliver a performance that our fans can be proud of.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                      \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"best-atmospheres-fans-stadiums-efl-championship-ranked-2026\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wrexham-fans-racecourse-ground.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=140&amp;h=98&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wrexham-fans-racecourse-ground.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=140&amp;h=98&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ranking_of_EFL_Championship_stadiums_by_atmosphere_2026\"><\/span>\n<p>\t\t\tRanking of EFL Championship stadiums by atmosphere (2026)<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">Which team has the loudest fans in the Championship?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The 56-year-old won&#8217;t have to waste any time turning things around on and off the pitch, and he may still have a chance to convince one player to stay.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>TeamTalk reports that Arsenal and Manchester United have made contact to sign Igor Tyjon from Blackburn this summer as he has run out of time on his current contract.<\/p>\n<p>As it stands, the teenager is set to leave as a free agent this summer, which will be a huge blow for the Lancashire men. Tyjon is regarded as one of the Championship&#8217;s most promising players and the widespread interest from the Premier League is no surprise.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a crushing blow for O&#8217;Neill, who has managed to get by without any transfer noise at the beginning of his crucial short tenure. Meanwhile, in the long term, there is no doubt that Blackburn will lose a quality talent who has received impressive praise at Ewood Park.<\/p>\n<section class=\"emaki-custom-block emaki-custom-pullquote\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"emaki-custom pullquote\" id=\"custom_block_17\">\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s had a great pre-season. He just played for England this week. I was delighted to be able to give him his debut today.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"custom_block-content pullquote\">\n<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s worked very, very hard. He&#8217;s a 16-year-old boy and we have to remember that. He&#8217;s definitely a player for the future,&#8221; said former manager John Eustace.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The 17-year-old forward appears to have the world at his feet and could be a player to watch this summer to see if he secures a move from Blackburn.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Blackburn Rovers face the possibility of losing one of their most promising players in the Premier League after the arrival of Michael O&#8217;Neill. O&#8217;Neill &#8216;grateful&#8217; for Blackburn opportunity With time running out to save the season, Blackburn decided to sack manager Valerian Ismael and asked Northern Ireland manager O&#8217;Neill to share the role and keep [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[44,7358,101,2302,40,304,488,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-43276","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-arsenal","9":"tag-blackburn","10":"tag-deal","11":"tag-fantastic","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-man","14":"tag-talks","15":"tag-united"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43276\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}