2 Blackburn Rovers players who must escape Ewood Park in January - £15k-a-week man features | OneFootball

Harry Pickering and Makhtar Gueye could benefit from leaving Blackburn Rovers in the January transfer window.

It has been a turbulent few months for Blackburn Rovers, following a hectic summer window and a mixed start to the season under the guidance of Valerien Ismael.

Pleasingly for Rovers, there have been reasons for encouragement in the past month, and the challenge for the team is to maintain their best form going into this crucial period.

Even though there is a lot of football to be played between now and January, the reality is that the recruitment team at Ewood Park will already have one eye on the January market.

The winter window is always crucial in any season, as whether you are pushing for promotion or fighting relegation, it’s a chance to add to the squad for the run-in.

So, Blackburn will be looking at ways to improve, but, as we know, they aren’t exactly in a position to splash the cash.

Therefore, it could be a case of wheeling and dealing if Ismael is going to get the players he wants to strengthen the squad, which means some departures could be on the cards.

It’s far from ideal to let players leave mid-season, but a combination of factors come into play, and in some cases it can be driven by the individual.

2 ? ? Harry Pickering

Left-back Harry Pickering joined Rovers from Crewe Alexandra in 2021, and he has gone on to make almost 150 appearances for the club in that period.

However, this season has been very frustrating for Pickering, as he has fallen down the pecking order under Ismael, which is backed up by the fact he has made just two appearances in the Championship.

Breaking that down further, his first outing was as a last-minute sub, and his only start came in a 3-0 loss at Charlton at the end of September, with Pickering not featuring since.

That will annoy Pickering, and you can be sure that there will be EFL interest in the defender, so a January switch could suit all parties.

One stumbling block though could be wages, with Capology estimating that the 26-year-old is on around £15,000 a week at Ewood Park - there of course may need to be some kind of compromise therefore when letting Pickering depart.

1 ? ? Makhtar Gueye

With the presence of Yuki Ohashi and new summer signing Andri Gudjohnsen, Makhtar Gueye has seen his importance for Ismael reduce significantly.

A scorer of six league goals last season, the powerful striker may have featured in 11 Championship games, but they have all been from the bench, which isn’t going to please the Senegalese attacker.

Unfortunately, when he has played, Gueye hasn’t found his best form either, and not only is he yet to find the net, but he is struggling with his all-round game.

Obviously, things can change quickly in football, and it may be that just one goal gets Gueye going.

But, right now, a January exit would suit both parties, and that would free up some space for Blackburn to bring in another attacking option in the window, which is sure to be a priority for the club - Al-Wahda of the UAE were linked in the summer window, but a move failed to materialise, however that does not mean it cannot be reignited.