Blackburn Rovers & West Brom must eye swoops for ex-Southampton striker on £0 deal | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers and West Brom are two sides who should be making a move for free agent Ross Stewart this summer.

A big topic of discussion that continues to linger on is the future of forward Ross Stewart.

The former Sunderland forward departed Southampton at the end of last season following the expiration of his contract, with much of his three terms on the South Coast disrupted by injury.

The 30-year-old will now be hopeful of putting his woes behind him and maintaining his fitness at a new club, with Stewart coming off the back of scoring eight goals during the 2025-26 term at St Mary’s.

And there are sure to be plenty of Championship suitors willing to lure the Scotsman for free, with Stewart still able to be a goalscoring asset at second tier level.

It is a bit of a surprise that Stewart is yet to land himself a new club given his exploits with the Saints, with the Championship kicking off in two weeks’ time.

With this in mind, FLW has identified two Championship clubs who should firmly be in the race to secure Stewart’s signature ahead of the 2026-27 season.

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Ross Stewart in fact turned down a new deal at Southampton this summer, allowing the Scot to leave on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract.

His impending departure has caused widespread outrage among the Saints fanbase, with many disappointed at his decision to depart the club.

Stewart joined from Sunderland in the summer of 2023 for around £12m, but has suffered constant injury struggles since his arrival, limiting the 30-year-old to just 50 appearances across all competitions in his three years at the club.

When fit and available, Stewart is among the very best strikers in the division, so it’s whether any second tier outfits are willing to take a gamble on him, which certainly will be more appealing now given he is available on a free transfer.

The first club who should be interested in making a move for Ross Stewart is Blackburn Rovers, who are in desperate need of some added firepower to help get them towards the right end of the Championship standings next season.

Narrowly securing their safety under Michael O’Neill, Rovers are now managed by the returning Tony Mowbray, but he will have an almighty task on his hands to get his side to score enough goals.

Last term, Blackburn ranked 23rd in the second tier for goals scored, on 42, with Sheffield Wednesday the only side with fewer goals than the Lancashire outfit.

That is a massive concern to all connected with Rovers, so adding someone of Stewart’s calibre could be season-defining for Blackburn.

As a target man, Stewart would be able to add physicality and be a focal point in the Blackburn attack, and provided quality is provided from the midfield areas, then the goals should flow.

At this moment in time, Blackburn don’t have a forward who is Championship proven and can score goals on a regular basis, so provided his fitness is maintained, Stewart could well be the man to provide what Rovers are lacking.

West Brom

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Moving on to West Brom, they equally struggled at the top end of the pitch, and it was a main factor for their embroilment in an unexpected relegation battle last season.

While they went through a miraculous revival thanks to the excellent work of James Morrison, the Baggies only scored 48 goals themselves over the course of last campaign, but they are under somewhat of a striking revamp.

Both Josh Maja and Daryl Dike have exited the club following the expiration of their contracts, while Barney Stewart has arrived from Falkirk to offer competition to Aune Heggebo.

But after losing two senior figures, the Baggies are bound to be keen to add one more striker to their department before the 1st September deadline, and Ross Stewart could be the perfect candidate.

Able to rough defenders up and possessing the ability to know where the back of the net is, Stewart could thrive in the blue and white stripes, potentially profiting off of the injected creativity in the final third from Jimmy Jay-Morgan, who has already begun to show his class in pre-season.

From a financial perspective, wages could prove to be a bit of a stumbling block, but there’s no doubt that Ross Stewart adds that guarantee of goals at Championship level, while Heggebo only enters his second season at the club and Barney Stewart is a largely unknown quantity at this stage.

Ross Stewart would also add much-needed experience to a rather youthful Albion forward line, and while he would not start every game at The Hawthorns, he would be able to impact with crucial goals that could well get Albion fighting back towards the top end of the division.