Fresh reaction given to Blackburn Rovers' Robert Lewandowski transfer miss - "It's really mental" | OneFootball

FLW's Blackburn Rovers fan pundit has given his verdict on the near-miss signing of Robert Lewandowski in 2010

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sam Allardyce has previously revealed just how close Blackburn Rovers came to signing Robert Lewandowski in the 2010 summer transfer window.

The former Rovers boss has claimed that a deal was being negotiated with Lech Poznan, and that he was keen to meet the player in person at Ewood Park in order to convince him to join.

However, he was unable to fly to England due to the volcanic ash cloud that had engulfed Europe at the time.

"I think about it every time I see him play," said Allardyce, via the BBC back in 2013.

"My distant memory isn't that great, but I think John Williams [former Rovers chairman] and the board said we are not going to commit that amount of money.

"I think they wanted €3 or 4 (£2.6 or 3.5) million, but we were particularly strapped financially at the time at Blackburn.

"I watched him play, but I didn't get the chance to meet him.

"I think his agent said he couldn't come over because of the ash cloud."

Instead, the Poland international signed for Borussia Dortmund, where he became a household name for his performances in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

He won league titles with Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the years since, while Blackburn suffered relegation to the Championship, and League One, and have not been in the top flight since 2012.

Blackburn Rovers were doomed even with Robert Lewandowski

When asked what impact Lewandowski could’ve had at the club, FLW’s Blackburn fan pundit Simon Middlehurst has claimed that the team were doomed because the issues behind the scenes that followed were so catastrophic.

He does note the links to Lewandowski, as well as other players signed in that era, as a sign of how good things were at Ewood Park at the time, but that it was always set to end in their demise because of off-field problems.

“It’s really mental, if you look back then, the players that Blackburn were potentially looking at signing, or had signed,” Middlehurst told Football League World.

“If you look at players like Roque Santa Cruz, Benni McCarthy, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke.

“Some of the players we brought in at the time were just crazy, and it just showed how the situation and position the club was in, which was great.

“If Robert Lewandowski signed, absolutely who knows how that would’ve gone.

“You’d like to think he would’ve come in and lit the club on fire and the Premiership on fire and kept us up.

“But, to be honest with you, I don’t think it really mattered what was going on on the pitch, off the pitch it was just a complete circus and it was our downfall.

“But it would’ve been nice and interesting to see what would’ve happened if he did sign.”

Lewandowski scored eight goals in 31 league appearances in his first season in the Bundesliga, before adding 22, 24 and 20 in his subsequent three years with Dortmund.

He’s won 12 league titles in Germany and Spain, as well as the 2020 Champions League, and he remains a key part of Hansi Flick’s side at Barcelona even at the age of 37.

Blackburn Rovers will always wonder what could’ve been with Robert Lewandowski

It’s true that Lewandowski might not have adjusted quickly to life in England and he might not have become the star he did if he’d moved to Ewood Park, we’ll never know now.

But he was an excellent talent in Poland, and scored 18 times for Lech Poznan in his final season with the club, so the potential was clearly there.

If he had performed well, then there’s every chance he makes a big money move and Blackburn survive another year or two in the Premier League.

However, the glaring issues behind the scenes were likely to unfold regardless, and that was ultimately what led to the team’s relegation in 2012.