Blackburn Rovers may have dodged transfer bullet as Bristol City seal £2m deal | OneFootball

Bristol City have beaten Blackburn Rovers to the signing of Sam Greenwood, which could be a blessing in disguise at Ewood Park

Blackburn Rovers are in desperate need of reinforcements this summer, as they look to avoid yet another relegation battle next season.

You never know what to expect pre-season at Ewood Park. The last four years have seen Rovers fluctuate between being a side that finished seventh, on the fringes of the play-offs, and one that needed somewhat of a great escape to avoid falling into League One.

If that trend is to be believed, and beloved boss Tony Mowbray can bring some good vibes back to Blackburn, perhaps next season could see them contend for a top-eight position. Arguably, most Rovers fans would be happy with a rather safe campaign with no relegation threats.

Either way, attacking improvements are a must at Ewood Park this summer window, with Blackburn ending last season as the side with the second-worst scoring record in the Championship, netting just 42 times and failing to score on 16 occasions in league action.

Sam Greenwood was targeted as one of the first additions this summer to try and bolster those numbers, with the former Leeds United man set to return to the EFL after a year playing in Poland with Pogon Szczecin.

Their £1 million bid was rejected by the Ekstraklasa outfit, with it emerging just days later that Bristol City had a £2 million plus add-ons fee accepted, with his signing being announced on Thursday.

Blackburn Rovers may have narrowly avoided transfer failure after Bristol City sign Sam Greenwood

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There's no doubting that whoever signed Greenwood this summer would be taking a risk on an attacking midfielder whose numbers have flattered to deceive somewhat during his recent two loan stints in the Championship while he was a Leeds player.

The 24-year-old netted five and assisted three in both campaigns while at Middlesbrough during the 2023/24 term and Preston North End the year after. That year at Boro saw Michael Carrick lead the side to the sixth-best attacking record in the division.

Per FotMob, both seasons saw Greenwood underperform his expected goals, scoring on average every five shots on target, which isn't incredibly prolific if the former Leeds man was targeted by Blackburn to lead the line next year.

In comparison, Andri Gudjohnsen's first season at Ewood Park saw him net seven times from just 13 shots on target. Trusting in the Icelandic frontman to take that next step is a risk in itself, but having just one frontman that Blackburn will be hoping for an improvement next season is better than two.

Tony Mowbray will need someone he can trust who will be able to push double digits and score the goals necessary to keep the relegation race at arm's length.

There's every chance that Greenwood could have a breakout year and become that, and they could find themselves with transfer envy, but it's better not to take that risk, especially for a seven-figure fee.

Blackburn Rovers are best to take transfer risks on unknowns, rather than Sam Greenwood

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A lot of Blackburn's recent business, especially in the last 12 months, have involved buying players from foreign leagues who haven't yet had their first taste of Championship football.

There's an obvious risk that comes with that, but with that comes the reward that, if they hit the ground running and show promise that their second season can be even better, Rovers could be in line to make a healthy profit in the future.

Ryoya Morishita had a great first season at Ewood Park, having played in Japan and Poland before making the switch. Gudjohnsen's seven goals in his debut campaign could give some hope that he could better that next year.

Meanwhile, Blackburn, and the rest of the Championship, already have a past conception Greenwood. £2 million for an attacking player who has just 16 goal contributions in 76 second tier games doesn't jump off the page, and that money could better be invested in someone who could have a bigger ceiling.

Only time will tell if Rovers have dodged the bullet by missing out on the 24-year-old. If their alternate arrival proves to be cheaper, and possibly even better, then they may look back at their rejected £1 million bid as a positive thing.