"Learning to live without him" - Blackburn Rovers fan view given after Sammie Szmodics' move to Ipswich Town | OneFootball

FLW's Blackburn fan pundit has given his verdict on the impact of Sammie Szmodics' summer departure

Sammie Szmodics was a key figure for Blackburn Rovers last season.

The Ireland international was the top scorer in the Championship, scoring 27 times as the Lancashire outfit finished 19th in the table.

His goals were crucial to John Eustace’s team surviving in the second division for another year.

However, he was sold in the summer to Ipswich Town, earning a move to the Premier League off the back of his exceptional goal-scoring form.

According to The Athletic, the Tractor Boys agreed an initial £9 million deal with Blackburn for Szmodics, which could potentially rise with add-ons.

Sammie Szmodics transfer claim

When asked if the club were missing Szmodics in the side, FLW’s Blackburn fan pundit Toby Wilding claimed the team is coping pretty well without him.

While he believes any team would miss a player of Szmodics’ calibre, he has suggested Eustace’s side are performing better than anyone would’ve expected in pre-season.

“It’s an interesting one,” Wilding told Football League World.

“Obviously, Szmodics was a big personality at the club, he had a really likeable character about him, so in that sense anyone would miss a guy like that around the side, to be honest.

“And certainly, someone who scored the goals he did, is a player that any team would want in the side.

“That being said, the way Blackburn have started the season without him is much better than anyone expected.

“With the results they are picking up, they do seem to be coping pretty well with his absence.

“I think it’s almost a case of, while you didn’t want him to go, and they will always miss a player like that with what he did for the club, I do think they are learning to live without him pretty well so far.”

Sammie Szmodics’ impact at Blackburn

Szmodics initially arrived at Ewood Park in the summer of 2022, arriving from Peterborough United following their relegation to League One.

The 29-year-old’s first campaign with Blackburn saw him score just five times from 34 appearances in the Championship as the team finished seventh in the table (all stats from Fbref).

But he grew in importance in his second year with the club, bagging 27 from 44 league appearances, although the team’s general form dropped off as they finished just three points clear of the relegation zone.

Blackburn are now sixth in the table this season, having played 11 times.

Blackburn have coped exceptionally well without Szmodics

It was inevitable that Szmodics was going to leave in the summer given there was interest from the Premier League.

It was an offer he simply couldn’t turn down at this stage of his career, and the fee received proved good money for Rovers.

But the team has done extremely well without him, regardless, and are currently in the mix for a play-off place.