Blackburn Rovers missed the mark with £3m Newcastle United transfer decision | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers signed Leon Best from Newcastle United for £3 million in the summer of 2012

Under Steve Kean, Blackburn Rovers finished 19th in the Premier League in the 2011/12 season, sending them back down to the Championship for the first time in 11 years.

It was a damning situation for the Lancashire-based outfit, though fortunately for them, they were among the favourites to make an immediate return to the top-flight, and they would make that apparent with numerous high-profile additions.

Jordan Rhodes was signed from Huddersfield Town for around £8 million, having netted a staggering 35 goals in 40 games for the Terriers in League One the previous campaign, whilst the likes of Colin Kazim-Richards, Dickson Etuhu, Danny Murphy, and Joshua King all made the move to Ewood Park to bolster the club’s ranks.

Each would eventually have varying degrees of success, though arguably none were more disappointing than their second-most-expensive player brought in that very same window, which is almost certainly a transfer decision Blackburn regret to this day.

Leon Best joined Blackburn Rovers for £3 million from Newcastle United in the summer of 2012

Blackburn's second most expensive arrival that window was actually the capture of English forward Leon Best from Premier League side Newcastle United, with the then-25-year-old taking the step down to the Championship for regular minutes in a deal worth a reported £3 million.

Best had struggled to get regular minutes on Tyneside under Alan Pardew, with the likes of Demba Ba, Shola Ameobi, and Peter Lovenkrands for competition, whilst a knee injury also halting his time on the pitch, with the Magpies more than happy to receive a healthy fee for the striker.

Best, who signed a contract worth £32k per week in Lancashire upon his arrival, as per estimates from Capology, was made the club's joint top earner alongside Etuhu, and it was hoped that he would be the man to lead the line for them in the Championship.

However, just six weeks after signing, Best would sustain a serious knee injury, which would keep him out for six months, leaving Rovers scrambling for a replacement up top.

That’s when they eventually made a last-minute effort to persuade Rhodes to make the move from Huddersfield, forcing them to part ways with upwards of £8 million to bring the forward in as a replacement in a club-record deal.

Rhodes would hit the ground running, fortunately for Blackburn, as they awaited the return of Best. However, his recovery took longer than expected, and it wouldn’t be until March 2013 that he would make his first appearance for the club, as the Englishman finished his first year at Ewood Park with just six league appearances, zero goals and assists, and one red card.

Best would net on the opening day of the 2013/14 campaign against Derby County in a 1-1 draw, though that was probably the peak of his Blackburn career in truth, as he would miss four games in a row shortly after, where he’d then decide to publicly criticise Blackburn manager Gary Bowyer via social media due his lack of minutes, which, of course, backfired.

The Englishman would head out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday for the remainder of the season, effectively ending his time at Ewood Park, which was probably the best-case scenario for everyone.

Blackburn blundered with the Leon Best transfer decision

Following his loan with Sheffield Wednesday coming to an end, Best would once again head out on loan for the next campaign, firstly to Derby and then to Brighton and Hove Albion, where he failed to score in any of 28 total appearances across both clubs.

Spells with Rotherham United, Ipswich Town, and finally Charlton Athletic followed before the Englishman decided to call time on his career in 2018, having failed to live up to the potential he once displayed early on in his journey.

Blackburn never received a penny back from the £3 million they spent on Best, and factoring in his estimated £32k per week wages, it’s safe to say that Best was not a financial success for the Lancashire club by any stretch of the imagination, as the club likely still rues his signing to this day.