Contract renewals have been a point of contention at Ewood Park after a summer where the club had to sell three players as they were into their final 12 months. Sondre Tronstad is another who looks set to leave for free at the end of this season.

Ismael has constantly reiterated that the club must learn from their previous mistakes. It’s therefore a big breakthrough to tie Wharton down ahead of time.

Players such as Balazs Toth, Hayden Carter, Todd Cantwell and Yuki Ohashi are also in similar situations. Their terms all expire in the summer of 2027.

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Ismael believes this is a sign of intent from Rovers and hopes there will be more positive announcements to come.

“I think it was important for us, for the club, to learn from the past,” Ismael told RoversTV.

“So actually, we started already to speak with the players that we think they are very important for the club.

“Scott is the first one since I came in. His mentality, his face, he’s a Blackburn boy. For me, it was really important to have him fit, to have him back, to have him around the team.

“We spoke clearly, straight away, with him about the extension. Because we know how important it is and it’s the first step we want to do. We speak with other players and we think that they are important for the club in the future.

“Hopefully, we can get some deals done. Scott is the first one, the first step. I think it’s a big signal, an impact.

“Maybe it will help the other players we are dealing with or discussing with. That’s to make sure that behind the scenes, the club is working already properly and to try to get some deals done.

“Maybe we don’t need to speak already with players, but we want to do it. Just to make sure we’re avoiding a situation we have this summer.”