Blackburn Rovers manager Valerien Ismael issues new transfer demand - the Venky's have been warned | OneFootball

The Blackburn Rovers boss wants the Venkys to act quickly next month

Blackburn Rovers manager Valerien Ismael wants the club's owners the Venky's to "act quickly" when bringing in players during the January transfer window, as his side looks to stave off relegation in the second half of the campaign.

A somewhat surprising defeat against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Saturday meant Pompey moved within two points of Blackburn, in turn stopping Valerien Ismael's side from moving six points clear of the bottom three.

Rovers have now failed to win in each of their last five games, and with points dropped against the two sides directly below them in their last two outings in Portsmouth and Oxford United, some warning signs are there about the Blue and Whites being involved in a real relegation scrap in the second half of the campaign.

As always, January provides a big opportunity for sides across the division to improve the squad and pick up a big boost towards achieving their goals, and the Blackburn boss is eager for his club to strike first and strike fast ahead of their rivals down at the bottom.

Valerien Ismael issues clear Blackburn Rovers January transfer demand

Speaking following Blackburn's defeat to Portsmouth, the Lancashire Telegraph reported that Valerian Ismael has identified transfer targets for the upcoming January transfer window, and expects that the Venkys will act quickly to get them.

Rovers haven't had the best of records in past winter windows, but with ongoing injuries, a change in shape, and the departure of Ryan Alebiosu to the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria swift action must be taken.

When asked whether the club has to act quickly, Ismael responded: "Oh yes."

"We spoke already with the board, as I said, as quickly as possible. Because the longer we are waiting, the more problems we will get. Every game counts in January.

"We need a new face. We need to refresh. We need to adjust the squad to adapt to the shape we play. [...] The earlier the players come in, the better it will be for us.

"We have already got the list identified. So now it's out of my control. We did our job."

The onus is now seemingly on the higher-ups to ensure that the Blackburn boss' demands are met, but considering experienced players such as Dominic Hyam, Lewis Travis and Callum Brittain were sold off in the summer, there may not be much confidence coming from the terraces.

Blackburn Rovers need a better January transfer window than past seasons

Blackburn have three games until 2026 comes around, and the window opens, plus then another six Championship games in January, which will take their games played tally to 29, with the Sheffield Wednesday home game acting as a game in hand.

So, even if the new faces arrive towards the end of next month, there may not be a lot of time remaining for those players to gel and really make an impact.

Blackburn's history in the January window hasn't been that fruitful, but given the increased quality down the bottom end of the Championship this season, a good month to open 2026 could be the difference between staying up and going down.

There's an expectation that Norwich City will continue to climb under Philippe Clement, and as Blackburn have realised over the past week, Portsmouth and Oxford are ready to fight to stay in the second tier at Rovers' expense.