Blackburn's summer business offers cause for concern

Valerien Ismael has won five of his 17 games in charge of Blackburn

To say Blackburn Rovers are in transition following the summer transfer window of 2025 would be a huge understatement.

For a team that ended last season just outside of the play-off spots, the hope from the fanbase was to make some key additions over the summer to supplement what they already had could see another realistic top-six push.

However, for the second transfer window in a row, people have been left scratching their heads.

January frustrated John Eustace and was a contributing factor in him leaving for Derby County.

The summer window saw Eustace again playing a big part. This time beating Rovers to players who were running out of contract as well as taking captain Lewis Travis in a move that didn't exactly go through with everybody warmly shaking hands at the end of it.

As we all know, the window closed at 19:00 BST – the reality (as usual) was that deals were still being announced late into the evening.

It was 23:00 before Dom Hyam's move to Wrexham was announced, and that was the biggest of blows.

A first-choice centre back, a model pro, 50 consecutive Championship games where he played every minute of them.

Hyam didn't rock the boat to go. It was another case of a player reaching the final season of his contract and his employer cashing in to avoid letting him walk for free next summer.

It is a gamble of sizeable proportions, particularly without a ready-made replacement coming in.

Callum Brittain, Travis and now Hyam were all in the same situation contractually and all moved on to other Championship clubs.

The question is, why did they go? What would it have taken for these three players to commit longer term? What is it about Middlesbrough, Derby and Wrexham that makes them a more attractive prospect?

If they were worlds apart in terms of salary expectation, then it makes sense to part ways and use the money wisely to replace them.

Callum Brittain signed for Middlesbrough after making 113 appearances over three seasons for Blackburn

A loan addition

The reluctance to complete a loan signing until deadline day with Taylor Gardner-Hickman arriving was also quite a shift.

Blackburn have historically had good relationships with the likes of Liverpool and Brighton down the years, but this year, no sign of movement.

Owen Beck, Harvey Elliott, Tyler Morton, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Jarred Branthwaite and Jan Paul van Hecke have been given opportunities to get their careers up and running with time at Ewood Park. An extra bit of quality, even though temporary, surely can't hurt, can it?

One huge difference this season will be the lack of Championship experience. More than 1,800 appearances at the level have gone out the door, with just two of the 10 arrivals having experienced the level before.

How important that is remains to be seen. It's simply too early to tell. But it once again brings us back to that word – gamble.

Academy graduates have joined Travis in moving on as well: John Buckley, Joe Rankin-Costello and Harry Leonard were deemed surplus to requirements. Will one of those three show Rovers what they're missing?

With Aynsley Pears not getting a summer move, does the goalkeeper come back into first-team contention? If he doesn't, the only backup for first-choice keeper Balasz Toth is from the academy. While they may show promise, they have yet to make any league appearances at this level.

The question is – has this newly-assembled squad got the strength, quality, consistency and know-how to succeed in the second tier?

Some players have shown early-season promise, while some are yet to be given the opportunity to prove their worth. Being given time in football just isn't an option.

The elephant in the room for me is where are the goals coming from on a regular basis?

In 2023-24, Sam Szmodics contributed 27 league goals. Last season in the Championship, nobody made it to double figures. Who is going to step up this year to be the difference-maker?

I think it's fair to say that there is concern from the fanbase as to how this season will pan out, but with 43 league games to come, ultimately anything is possible.

Head coach Valerien Ismael will get some grace from the supporters. His media interviews over the summer have helped him win over some who were undecided.

But the fractured relationship between the board and the supporters doesn't show any real signs of progress.

One thing is for sure - it won't be boring.