Rovers have today announced that another of their hot youth prospects, Jack Vale, has committed his future to the club by signing a new three-year deal until 2025, with the club holding an option to extend the contract to 2026.
The attacker, who can play anywhere across the frontline and even behind a striker, has been at Ewood Park since the age of 14 and has powered his way through the Rovers youth ranks with great success, showcasing his eye for goals at youth level, netting 36 goals for Rovers’ various youth sides in just over four seasons.
His contributions for the youth teams did not go unnoticed, as despite being unable to play during his loan spell at Barrow due to the suspension of League 1 & 2 as a result of COVID-19, Vale was soon offered his first-team debut by former boss, Tony Mowbray, in Rovers’ 4-3 home win over Reading at the end of 2019-20. 2020-21 and 2021-22 saw the Welshman play with Rochdale in League One and Halifax Town in the National League, before continuing to shine in Rovers’ youth departments, netting 13 goals and notching three assists in 14 Premier League 2 games in 2021-22, as well as making two substitute appearances for the first-team.
Following the arrival of Jon Dahl Tomasson, Vale has seen his first-team game time increase, as after impressing in pre-season, the Welshman started the opening day 1-0 home victory over Queens Park Rangers, before going onto feature six more times under the Danish boss, prior to signing his new deal.
Vale’s international exploits have also made those in East Lancashire stand up and take notice, after making 22 appearances between Wales’ under-15s and under-19s sides, netting twice in the process, Vale was called up to the under-21s in October 2019, making his debut as a substitute in a 2-1 loss to Moldova. Vale’s first goals would come in style as he would net a perfect hattrick against Bulgaria in European Championship Qualifying, before notching a further three assists against Gibraltar, Switzerland and the return leg against Bulgaria, respectively.
After the ink on his deal dried, Jack beamed with delight as he discussed the importance of his new deal, with RoversTV:
“It feels great to sign and I just need to get my head down now and continue to work hard. I’ve been here for a while now, so I think the club have shown how much loyalty they’ve put in me and I’ll give loyalty back, so I’m glad they’ve trusted me and given me a new deal.
“I was in the last year of my contract, so I obviously wanted to stay here, carry on playing here and do what I can to help the club.
“I love it here. I’ve met some great staff over the years, who have helped me loads, so I’m grateful for everything they’ve done for me to get me to where I am now. I’ve loved every minute here, so I’m just glad to carry on the journey.”
Director of Football, Gregg Broughton, also offered his insight into how valuable Vale could become for Rovers, in the future:
“Jack has worked really hard from the first day of pre-season and has demonstrated his quality to lead the line and be an effective striker in our system.
“This new contract demonstrates our belief in his continued development with Blackburn Rovers and his belief that this is the right environment for him to fulfil his potential.”
Llongyfarchiadau, Jack!
