Blackburn Rovers: John Eustace will hope to see Arsenal cash this summer - View | OneFootball

John Eustace would surely benefit from a cash windfall courtesy of the Gunners

Hopes were high at Ewood Park heading into the 2023/24 Championship campaign after Blackburn Rovers were only denied of a play-off finish by the tiny virtue of goal difference behind sixth-placed Sunderland.

The departure of Ben Brereton Diaz, who had scored 22 times the season prior and finished 2022/23 with a respectable 14 strikes to his name, to Villarreal on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract stung Rovers supporters aplenty, but little did they know that they already had an in-house improvement in Sammie Szmodics right under their noses. Equally effective in attacking midfield or leading the line at the tip of the spear, Szmodics enjoyed a sensational individual campaign by racking up no less than 33 goals across all competitions, 27 of which came in the Championship alone.

But even the four-cap Republic of Ireland international's scintillating showings in blue and white couldn't spare Blackburn from relegation worry, and they finished last season merely three points safe of a League One return.

It was a season of unmitigated disaster at Rovers, who struggled on and off the pitch amid ongoing issues with investment from the Venky's, their controversial Indian-based ownership consortium - and the situation worsened to the extent that Jon Dahl Tomasson, a much more popular figure among fans, handed in his second and final resignation in February after becoming disenchanted with the club's direction.

In stepped John Eustace, who himself was harshly dismissed by Birmingham City in a highly regrettable decision that was the precursor for what many deem a deserved relegation at the end of the campaign.

There's a sense of irony in Eustace managing to keep Blackburn up by the skin of their teeth at Birmingham's very own expense, but now he'll be hoping to receive a cash windfall that would bear every chance of elevating their fortunes next year.

Blackburn Rovers have gained £5m cash injection from David Raya's Arsenal transfer

Rovers have gained a multi-million cash infusion from David Raya's permanent transfer to Arsenal this summer, which is believed to have set the Gunners back some £27m after they activated their purchase option in the loan deal with Brentford.

Raya, who made 108 appearances for Blackburn before joining the Bees in 2019, quickly usurped Aaron Ramsdale in Arsenal's pecking order en route to winning the Premier League's Golden Glove award last season.

Indeed, former Director of Football Greg Broughton confirmed last September that Blackburn were set to receive the windfall if Raya completed a permanent move to Arsenal – estimating the fee would be around £5 million – leaving the Rovers faithful with crossed fingers for the duration of the season.

They'll now be seeing that cash, but it's still unclear where it will be used moving forwards - though Eustace will be hoping as much of it as possible can be reinvested into the playing squad.

Blackburn Rovers will need to reinvest David Raya cash windfall in the transfer market

While there are certain financial constraints at Blackburn owing to the complex ownership investment situation as of late, it'll be vital for their ambitions next season if Eustace can use as much of the Raya cash as possible.

There's a real dearth of goals throughout the side - when you look past Szmodics, of course - and he too may be off in the weeks to come, which would heighten Blackburn's need for attacking reinforcements tenfold.

You get the feeling that the lower echelons of the Championship could be even more tightly contested next season following the promotions of Portsmouth, Oxford United and Derby County from League One. There is a school of thought among second-tier supporters that John Mousinho's upwardly mobile Pompey will steer clear of a relegation battle, while Oxford and Derby have both already been proactive in the market, too.

Blackburn themselves are yet to make a senior signing and run the risk of falling behind their rivals, so Eustace will most certainly hoping that he's able to reap the rewards of Raya's transfer and conduct the necessary squad surgery to help Blackburn remain afloat or even push higher up the table.