'Absence of Weimann presents opportunity'

With 11 games remaining and fans dreaming of a further three, the prospect of losing your leading scorer for all of them is a sizeable blow.

Andi Weimann has proved to be one of Blackburn Rovers' key signings of last summer. He turned 33 just as the season started and had spent most of the close season as a free agent.

Nine goals later (in all competitions), without playing in the traditional number nine role, he's made a firm case for a new deal.

His final touch of the season was to head home a very late leveller against Norwich last week.

He had already picked up his season-ending knee injury at that point.

Another one to remember was his spectacular goal in September at Burnley, which is highly likely to land him the goal of the season award.

He might not have the lightning pace from earlier in his career, but it's that knack of being in the right place at the right time that can't really be coached that will be missed in the run-in.

Whether he was a starter or a substitute, you felt that a chance might fall to him at some point just due to his football intelligence.

Head coach Valerien Ismael has been telling me what a blow it is to lose the Austrian, but he was quick to point at the options at his disposal.

Ismael is backing deadline day signings Emmanuel Dennis and Cauley Woodrow to make an impact on the team that hasn't happened so far.

He's worked with both of them before and feels that he can get the best out of them.

Dennis will miss the visit to Derby this weekend as he serves a one-match ban following a sending off against Norwich last time out.

Ismael feels that the front man who is on loan from Nottingham Forest has a lot to prove in the coming weeks.

"Maybe next time he will learn that when you get the first yellow card, you should be more careful in the dual for the second one," Ismael said.

"I've found since I came that Dennis looks sharper than when I saw him last year at Watford. More focused, really sharp in shape, positive. It's only one game (the suspension), and three days later we have another game, so he will be back.

"At some point he has a point to prove. Every year you are on loan here, on loan there, and at some point you just want to settle and find your home."

Woodrow finds himself in a similar position. You have to go back to 2020-21, when Ismael managed him at Barnsley, that he featured in more than 30 league matches in a season.

He's made a total of eight starts in the league for Luton in two and a half seasons.

Ismael feels that Woodrow can slot into the role that Weimann has vacated.

"He knows the way to goal, he knows the game, he is fit, so at some point he will get his chance to come back," he said.

"It's easy when you know the player and his quality, and I've spoken with him already. He knows himself that he wants to prove something. I know that he is able to help the team. It's just a question of timing now and as soon as it comes, we expect him to take his chance."

The absence of Weimann certainly presents an opportunity, and Woodrow, Dennis and the returning Yuki Ohashi will be keen to prove their worth from now on in.