Blackburn Rovers' Chaotic Transfer Window: Curwood's Frustrations
Steve Curwood did not try to sugar-coat it. “Everyone is frustrated,” the new Blackburn Rovers chief executive admitted, as he faced up to a summer window that left supporters angry and a squad still looking light.
Rovers ended deadline day with four signings in the door – but three more deals collapsed in the final hours. For a fanbase that had expected a stronger push after last season’s struggles, it felt like another opportunity missed.
Gazumped and left short
Curwood, speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire, insisted the club had been active and ambitious, only to be outmanoeuvred late in the day.
“Deals were on the table. Deals were agreed with players and clubs,” he said. “We can talk about morals in football, maybe there aren’t too many now and that’s what’s happened.”
The frustration cut deeper because the groundwork, in Blackburn’s view, had been done. Then the market turned.
“We were gazumped at the last minute on a couple of deals, and one was a foreign one which took a bit more time than you would anticipate.”
BBC Radio Lancashire understands two of the failed moves involved Reo Hatate, who instead joined Burnley, and Brian De Keersmaecker, who went to Bristol City. Two targets, two near-misses, and a fanbase left asking how Rovers had been beaten to them.
Curwood pushed back at any suggestion the owners had tightened the tap.
“The investment has been there,” he said. “There hasn’t been a reluctance (from the board). There has been collaboration throughout the process. I think at the final hurdle we haven’t been able to get them over the line.
“Yes – it’s frustrating, we’re frustrated, and Tony (Mowbray) wanted that extra little bit of something which we haven’t managed to do.”
Mowbray’s late arrival and a “chaotic” window
The backdrop to all of this has been managerial upheaval. Michael O’Neill, who juggled his Rovers stint with the Northern Ireland job, steered the club to Championship safety last season but turned down the permanent role in mid-May.
Rovers went back to a familiar face. Tony Mowbray, previously in charge at Ewood Park, was reappointed on 5 June. By then, the clock was already ticking.
Curwood did not hide from the impact of that timeline.
He described the window as “chaotic”, shaped by the late appointment and a run of injuries that distorted priorities.
“Ideally your manager will be in by the start of May to work out where are we going for next year,” he said. “So that timeline has been constrained somewhat, and then conflated by injuries.”
The club faced a classic dilemma: move early and secure what you can, or wait for first-choice targets and accept the risk.
“If you want to do your deals early, maybe you can’t go after the best players sometimes,” Curwood explained. “You’ve got to either wait and go for target number one with this risk, or cement one in the building because we know we can get him, like Jayden Fevrier for example.”
The message was clear. Rovers chose to chase specific players Mowbray wanted, rather than filling shirts for the sake of it.
“We might highlight three or four targets, but Tony wants to make sure the people here want to be here and play for him.
“Was it the wrong thing to do to push for the specific players Tony wanted? These things happen when you try to be specific, but none of us want to just bring in players to add bodies in the building.”
Slimmer squad, bigger gamble
Seven players left Blackburn over the summer. With the incoming business falling short of what was planned, the exits look starker now. Curwood, though, stood by those calls.
“You’ve got to allow the manager to make certain decisions,” he said. “The squad list was top-heavy. Certain players needed game-time, like George Pratt going to Bradford.”
Rovers also chose to resist interest in some key assets. BBC Radio Lancashire understands the club turned down offers for Ryoya Morishita, Sean McLoughlin, Balasz Toth, Yuki Ohashi and Ryan Alebiosu.
So while the squad is leaner, Blackburn argue it is at least built around players they value and want to keep.
“Whirlwind” start and a promise of change
Curwood himself is only two months into the job, having arrived from League Two side Fleetwood Town. He walked straight into a storm: a transfer window, staff turnover and a restless crowd.
“It’s been a whirlwind since I arrived – with a transfer window, an administrator going to another club, and a senior physiotherapist leaving,” the 54-year-old said.
He has asked for patience, not applause.
“The first 90 days will give me time to reflect and bring some of the processes this club need to improve where we are.
“We’ll be in a very different position moving into the next window, and beyond that.”
The frustration is real. The questions are loud. Now Blackburn have four months of Championship football to prove that the pain of this window leads to something more convincing in the next.
