Blackburn have gambled on Eustace with transfer business

Whilst the dreaded phrase 'subject to approval from the relevant authorities' might have triggered PTSD for most, there are no registration worries this time around. Other than who might get left out but more on that later.

Ultimately, it is incredibly difficult to assess a transfer window's success until several months later. The point was made to me that those who have impressed most from the summer recruits are perhaps those who came with the last fanfare. Danny Batth, Andi Weimann and Owen Beck.

Going into January, it was evident what Rovers wanted and needed. We reported as early as November that a striker and left-winger were top priorities, whilst Harry Pickering's knee injury made left-back cover a must. Yet it took into the last day, and indeed final hours, for those players to arrive.

Dion Sanderson and Adam Forshaw were squad fillers to plug gaps left by Lewis Baker and Kyle McFadzean. Cheap deals for decent professional, that ultimately will not dictate whether Rovers fall short of their season aims. Fine, no issue.

But it's yet again been a mad scramble at the end to get players in, which is a disappointment. Rovers had months to prepare, had clear areas to target and missed out on the opportunity to strengthen John Eustace's squad for seven games, when they desperately needed it.

In terms of the overall business, I think Rovers have once again gambled on the qualities of their head coach. There are ifs and maybes attached to all those in attack, rather than the Championship-ready 'plug and play' options that Eustace desired. And deserved.

I understand that Blackburn Rovers have a transfer budget that does not rival those at the top. Someone like Adam Armstrong or Cameron Archer, who didn't move, would always be unattainable. But I can't help but feel slightly underwhelmed. When you look at the business of their top-six rivals and the injuries sustained in January, I don't feel any more confident about Rovers maintaining their overachievement into May.

Augustus Kargbo is a completely unknown quantity. He might be fantastic but he has no pedigree in the English game. Considering that Rovers have tracked him since the summer, it's a slight red flag that they deliberated for so long on whether to pull the trigger for the sake of a few hundred grand in valuation difference.

Cauley Woodrow is a known name in this division but his best time at the level was several seasons ago. He netted 13 Championship goals for Barnsley in 2020/21 but since, has only scored seven times in league competitions.

Emmanuel Dennis has got what Kargbo doesn't. He has already proven himself at this level and the one above. But that was several years ago and he hasn't played any football since May. That was a return to Vicarage Road, where he'd previously torn it up, but he ended his loan at Watford with four goals in 17 appearances.

So, quite bluntly, we don't know what Dennis' current level. IF Eustace can get him firing, he is quite clearly a potential ceiling-rasier. He has got quality in the final third but it needs coaxing out of him, plus it might take a while to do so from a fitness point of view.

I would not back against the Rovers head coach to do so. But that's kind of my point. Eustace needed players that were ready to hit the ground running and that were an undoubted improvement on what they already had. I am not sure any of their new signings tick both those boxes.

I would argue that only Dennis, assuming he overcomes the caveats listed above, would definitely get into Rovers' best XI, with everyone fit. There's also a debate as to where he's best utilised, having played some of his best football from the left rather than as a number nine.

Otherwise, we're looking at two short-term deals. Two squad-filling loan signings and a completely unknown quantity. Am I wrong for expecting more?

There is also now a fresh registration issue which Rovers have to navigate. Having lost three players from their original 23-man list from the summer (Baker, McFadzean and Joe Hilton), they have six new players to fit five spots.

So one senior player has to come off the list. There are no season-ending injuries, bar Scott Wharton who already wasn't registered. Harry Pickering is perhaps the furthest away but should return post-March international break.

Arnor Sigurdsson would be an obvious fall guy but his deadline-day social media activity suggests he expects to stay at Blackburn Rovers. There are other European markets available, most notably Sweden where Malmo have been previously linked, and so that might be Rovers' best solution.

Regardless, it's a bit messy and uncomfortable. Was it worth it? Only time will tell.

Ultimately, Rovers have addressed the areas of the squad they wanted to. Eustace has more bodies, injected some pace and has more goal-scorers than he started with.

But how well this January window ages will as a result of their head coach, more than anything else.