"Really important" - Blackburn Rovers urged to make key call in January transfer window | OneFootball

Rovers have struggled in front of goal of late after a blistering start to the campaign

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…

After flying out the blocks at the start of the 24/25 campaign, Blackburn Rovers have seen the goals, and results, dry up of late.

John Eustace’s side found the back of the net 14 times in their first four matches in all competitions, with the likes Yuki Ohashi and Makhtar Gueye hitting the ground running after signing in the summer.

That early form in front of goal has since deserted them though, with just two goals scored in their five matches during October seeing them lose ground on the leading pack at the top of the Championship.

With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s resident Blackburn Rovers fan Toby Wilding about his thoughts on the upcoming January transfer window, and what issues need to be addressed at Ewood Park.

Blackburn Rovers must resolve goalscoring issues

Having lost the league’s top goalscorer Sammie Szmodics to Ipswich Town in August, Rovers looked as if they had replaced the frontman adequately over the summer, with Ohashi, Gueye and fellow new signing Andi Weimann bedding into life in Lancashire with ease at the start of the campaign.

That goalscoring prowess contributed towards an unbeaten seven-match run at the start of the season, before back-to-back defeats at Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle saw them stopped firmly in their tracks.

A barren run in front of goal has seen confidence in the frontline dissipate over recent weeks, and Wilding believes that something needs to change when January arrives to help them stop the rot.

When asked what transfer demand he would make of the club in January, the Rovers fan said: “I would say we need to sign a proven Championship goalscorer at centre forward.

“Both Yuki Ohashi and Makhtar Gueye started brilliantly after coming in, in the summer, but they don’t seem to be having that same effect at the minute.

“I wonder if that is a bit of coming down to the demands, and having that learning curve; certainly in the case of Ohashi, it could be that tiredness, having been midway through a season in Japan when he moved.

“For Gueye, perhaps it is through not having a busy pre-season, so I think someone coming in to add to that in terms of someone who knows the league and knows how to get goals in the division will really make a difference.

“The goals have started to dry up for Blackburn at the minute, so I think changing that is going to be really important in terms of getting results back on track, and making sure that Rovers don’t start to get dragged down the table again.”

Blackburn Rovers will be hoping to avoid 23/24 repeat as early form falters

Rovers are in a very similar predicament to where they were this time in the previous campaign, with both seasons seeing them earn 19 points from their first 13 league games.

While that mid-table sort of form made it seem as if all was well this time last year, a wretched run of results in the second-half of the campaign saw them flirting with relegation by the time April came around, with their Championship status not secured until the final game of the season.

A run of one win from 13 league games to start 2024 saw Eustace’s side dragged further and further down the league standings, and with that memory still strong in the memory, there will already be fears of a repeat this season as results start to take a turn for the worse.

Without the ever-reliable Szmodics [pictured] on hand to produce something out of nothing, the need for another player capable of finding the back of the net on a regular basis is clear for all to see at Ewood Park, with the early-season momentum slowly fizzling out with each passing week.

Whether the upcoming international break can give the players the chance to regroup ahead of the busy festive period remains to be seen, but another addition in January could be exactly what they need to avoid another nerve-wracking season like they had in the 23/24 campaign.