"Worth having around" - Blackburn Rovers man backed ahead of big contract decision | OneFootball

Andi Weimann quickly won over Blackburn Rovers fans with his wonderstrike against Burnley early into his Ewood Park career

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Blackburn Rovers have been called upon to retain the services of Championship veteran Andi Weimann beyond the end of the current campaign.

Austrian international Weimann joined Rovers at the expiry of his contract with Bristol City, the striker ending a six-year association with the Robins at the end of the 2023/24 season.

Having only signed an initial one-year contract, Weimann has done enough to secure a longer stay at Ewood Park in the eyes of many Blackburn fans - including FLW's Rovers fan pundit.

Derby day antics highlighted Andi Weimann’s big game contributions for Blackburn Rovers

33-year-old Weimann arrived at Ewood Park with over 300 second-tier appearances under his belt, along with over a century of Premier League matches thanks to his Aston Villa spell.

Weimann’s pedigree has been self-evident, with the Austrian Rovers’ top goalscorer in the Championship this term.

On top of his six goals, of which he averages one every 230 minutes played, Weimann has set up a further two for his team-mates.

Aside from a five-game spell out due to a knee issue, Weimann has been involved in some capacity during Rovers’ Championship campaign, making 29 appearances.

Football League World’s Blackburn Rovers fan pundit Simon Middlehurst believes Weimann’s experience has proven invaluable to Blackburn this season.

The Austrian’s stunning strike against fierce rivals Burnley has also won over a lot of fans in Blackburn’s corner of Lancashire, with Weimann’s passionate celebrations endearing himself to the Rovers faithful.

It was not the only time Weimann has stepped up when Blackburn needed someone to take charge of a game, in Simon’s opinion.

When asked whether Rovers should look to keep the 33-year-old at Ewood Park, Simon told FLW: “I think Andi Weimann deserves another contract.

“This season he has turned up when we’ve needed someone to turn up.

“He’s come up with something when we’ve needed someone to come up with something - he’s come up with some quite important goals.

“He’s going to be a hero as well, because of the goal he scored against Burnley near the start of the season.

“There’s been others a couple of times, Bristol City, where he’s come up with a goal as well.”

Andreas Weimann’s Championship experience worth keeping around for Blackburn Rovers

Simon went on to stress how Weimann’s vast Championship experience, especially in comparison to the rest of the Blackburn squad, was keenly felt in the dressing room.

FLW’s Blackburn fan pundit fears that with the Venky's track record of underwhelming investment, the squad at Ewood Park could get younger in the coming seasons.

As such, the importance of keeping an experienced campaigner such as Weimann was heightened in Simon’s eyes.

Simon added: “I think he definitely deserves another contract, because he, again, has Championship experience.

“He’s that old head in the changing room, obviously we’re probably going to rely on a lot of youngsters coming through next season.

“He’s definitely someone worth having around, and definitely worth giving that one-year contract to.

“I think he has been a good squad addition this season, so definitely worth having for another season.”