Blackburn Rovers transfer "problem" emerges amid interest in 6-goal Saudi Arabian forward | OneFootball

Al-Ittihad winger Marwan Al-Sahafi has been the subject of initial enquiries from Blackburn Rovers, according to reports.

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…

Al-Ittihad winger Marwan Al-Sahafi has been the subject of initial transfer enquiries from Blackburn Rovers, according to reports.

The Saudi Arabia international is currently away on international duty, and is among several prospects on Rovers' transfer radar, with the Lancashire Telegraph confirming that an initial enquiry has gone in for the 21-year-old.

Al-Sahafi spent last season on loan at Belgian club Beerschot and was the club's top scorer, where he netted six goals in 25 appearances across all competitions, but has only managed two goals in 27 for his parent club Al-Ittihad in his career so far.

Blackburn Rovers have a mixed history with foreign signings - Al-Sahafi signing would be curious

FLW's Blackburn Rovers Fan Pundit, Simon Middlehurst, acknowledged the difficulty in assessing a relatively unknown player, with the Lancashire outfit having a mixed experience in recent years when it comes to players arriving from overseas.

"It’s a very difficult one. It’s hard to say because when it comes to a player you don’t really know it’s really difficult to make a comment about," Simon told FLW.

"The problem is with Blackburn is we’ve got a history of signing players that haven’t played in England before or aren’t known and they prove to be a bit of a miss for us."

However, Simon was quick to point out some success stories from recent years, adding: "Saying that though, there have been instances in the past as well where we’ve signed players from abroad that no one really knows or heard of and they’ve come to be successes.

"Looking at the last couple of years, if you look at Sondre Tronstad, he came in as a bit of an unknown and has obviously now come in as a fan favourite, Thomas Kaminski another player who came in as an unknown and became a fan favourite - obviously got a move to Luton when they went into the Premier League.

21-year-old Al-Sahafi's loan spell at Beerschot came during a difficult season for the Belgian outfit, who finished 16th in the Pro League - subsequently being relegated to the second tier.

Rovers though were perhaps burnt by a recent high-profile overseas deal for Arnor Sigurdsson, which is perhaps a lesson for the club that they do not always work out.

"If you look at players like Arnor Sigurdsson, again a bit of an unknown player, has then come in and hasn’t quite cut it," Simon added.

"So I’m not exactly ruling it out but then again at the same time next season could be a very, very big season for Blackburn.

"I feel that we need to start targeting players that know the level, and have played at the level and also proved themselves at that level if we really want to make a stamp on the league next season."

Under new head coach Valerien Ismael, Blackburn are taking a data-driven approach to transfers - with Ismael wanting players who can meet the physical and tactical demands of his high-press style.

As per FootBoom, the club are aiming to have 90% of their summer signings completed within five weeks.

The French manager has been clear about his requirements, saying: "My way to play, regardless of whether it's a 3-4-3 or 4-3-3, demands certain physical intensities" - this could influence whether Al-Sahafi fits the profile Rovers are seeking.

However, as Middlehurst's comments suggest - Rovers fans will be hoping for more certainty in their transfer dealings ahead of what could be a big season for the Lancashire club after just missing out on the play-offs last season.