Blackburn Rovers struck Bradley Dack transfer gold - But Venky's should've received huge Ewood Park windfall | OneFootball

Bradley Dack was fantastic for Blackburn; however, they missed out on a huge sum of money for the midfielder.

Blackburn Rovers struck gold in 2017, as they agreed a deal with Gillingham to bring midfielder Bradley Dack to the club.

After a move costing Rovers just £750,000, Dack made an instant impact at the club, scoring 18 goals and providing eight assists as Blackburn achieved promotion back to the Championship.

Throughout his time at Ewood Park, the creative midfielder was touted for a move away, as such was his quality. However, the club would miss out on big money as they held on to him before his contract expired in 2023.

Injuries stalled his progress during the latter stages of his Blackburn spell, and he never quite looked the same player following his 2023 move to Sunderland.

And as has been the case with the likes of Ben Brereton Diaz in the past, and Tyhrys Dolan, Andi Weimann and Danny Batth more recently, Rovers were left wondering what could have been regarding financial compensation.

Bradley Dack became a Blackburn Rovers star

Following relegation to League One in 2017, Blackburn were able to bounce back to the second tier at the first time of asking — finishing second behind Wigan Athletic in the 2017/18 term.

Dack played an integral role under Tony Mowbray, featuring in 42 out of 46 league matches. He finished the season as the club's top scorer and finished with the joint-most assists.

He didn't stop there. Following Blackburn's ascent to the second tier, he continued to impress with 15 goals and seven assists. As Rovers finished 15th, far enough away from a relegation headache, Dack had become talismanic at Ewood Park.

It was reported in the summer of 2019 that multiple Premier League clubs were considering a move for the creative midfielder. But Blackburn were holding out for a price set at £18 million.

He would remain at the club as links with West Ham and Crystal Palace cooled, and the 2019/20 term would mark the beginning of an unfortunate cycle.

Dack provided a more than respectable tally of nine goals across 22 appearances in all competitions; however, his availability continued to worsen.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and this could not have been truer for Blackburn, who saw Dack's impact fade and his selling price drop drastically.

Looking to get back to his best after an injury-hit 2019/20 campaign, Dack would never return as the same player that was once the main man at Ewood Park.

Rovers would go on to sustain multiple play-off charges, and a player of his quality would have been a huge helping hand; however, he could not provide the same influence.

Across his final three seasons at Ewood Park, he would make just 52 appearances, with back-to-back ACL injuries continuing to halt his progress.

The heights of his Blackburn career will always be remembered fondly. However, the remainder of his career has been a sad case of what could have been.

Even more so for the club, who turned down opportunities to bring in almost £20 million for their star man. And for a club often having to act prudently when it comes to their finances, the potential windfall could have benefited Blackburn tenfold.

In 2023, Dack would leave the club as a free agent, joining up with former Rovers boss Tony Mowbray once again at Sunderland.

It was hardly a positive reunion, though, as Dack fell out of favour, endured a difficult relationship with Sunderland supporters and only ever managed one goal and one assist before dropping down to League Two with a return to Gillingham in 2024.

Now aged 31, there aren't too many questions surrounding the ability Dack had and whether he would've been cut out for Premier League football - instead, it's difficult to avoid what could've been, from both a footballing and a financial perspective.