Blackburn Rovers should look to £40m Chelsea flop after crushing Sondre Tronstad blow | OneFootball

The injury to Sondre Tronstad could force Blackburn Rovers into looking into the free agent market

Blackburn Rovers are still in danger of relegation to League One this season despite some positive results under Michael O’Neill - and the loss of Sondre Tronstad has come at the worst possible time.

56-year-old O'Neill took charge of Rovers in February after the sacking of Valerien Ismael, and he will continue to oversee his position as the Northern Ireland manager for their upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifying play-offs later this month against Italy.

It was a divisive decision to bring in the former Stoke City boss on this job share contract, but he has so far lifted the Lancashire outfit four points clear of the relegation zone.

Blackburn finished seventh in the second tier last season, so the team have suffered a significant fall in grace after just narrowly missing out on a play-off place, with senior stars such as Lewis Travis, Dom Hyam and Callum Brittain cashed in on last summer.

Recent positive results against Preston North End and QPR have given the club some reason to be optimistic about their end of the campaign, even though defeats to Bristol City and Derby County followed, but there are still 11 games to go and plenty of work to be done.

O’Neill’s side will be looking to stave off competition from West Brom and Leicester City in order to avoid the drop back into League One, having climbed out of the third tier in 2018, but the recent confirmation of Tronstad's injury will make life even more difficult for them.

Sondre Tronstad injury is bad for Blackburn Rovers - but could ex-Chelsea man be a perfect replacement?

Tronstad will miss the remainder of the Championship season after suffering an ACL injury,

It came as a massive blow for O’Neill when the Norwegian had to come off at half-time in the loss to Bristol City recently given his importance to the club.

The 30-year-old was a key figure for Rovers even despite their struggles this season, but he may now have played his final fixture for the team as he will be absent for the next several months.

Tronstad’s contract is set to expire in the summer, and it has been inferred earlier in the season that the Norway international wants to return to Scandinavia, meaning he's more than likely kicked his final ball for Rovers.

However, with his injury he is now out of action and Blackburn need to move quickly to ensure the squad isn’t harmed too much through his absence, and Blackburn should now turn to Tiémoué Bakayoko as a possible solution to save their fight against relegation.

The former Chelsea star is out of contract at the moment and, although Rovers currently have a full squad registered with the EFL, an exception could be made within the rules to de-register Tronstad due to his season-ending injury in order to make room for the 31-year-old.

While Blackburn supporters may bristle at the idea of bringing in someone who struggled so much at the highest level, he could be well suited to a short-term deal in the Championship.

It would be beneficial for the Frenchman to get some game time, and a run of matches that help keep O’Neill’s side in the division could be what he needs to revive his career.

Tiémoué Bakayoko can be what Blackburn Rovers need aftrer Tronstad blow

Bakyoko signed for Chelsea in a deal worth a reported £40 million from Monaco following their impressive title-winning campaign in 2017.

However, he struggled at Stamford Bridge, making just 29 league appearances during his six years with the club, all of them coming in 2017/18.

The midfielder had spells on loan at AC Milan, Napoli and back to his old club Monaco before finally exiting on a permanent basis in 2023, signing for Lorient.

After a season back in France, and a year with Greek side PAOK Salonika, he is now available as a free agent, and whilst he's evidently not at the level he was nearly nine years ago when he made his big-money move to England, Celtic were close to signing him in January, but ultimately opted for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

And while there may be some concerns over his match fitness, the options on the free agency market are limited, and Blackburn may have to take that risk given their position in the league.

Bakayoko has experience of English football, and he has the defensive discipline to help take on Tronstad’s responsibilities on the pitch.

As a short-term deal, this may be the best move Rovers can make to aid their survival hopes, and it could also be the player’s best chance at securing a longer-term deal for next season somewhere.