While it is now almost two weeks since the January transfer window came to a close, Blackburn Rovers are still waiting to discover just how it actually ended for them.

A deadline day move to sign midfielder Lewis O'Brien on loan from Nottingham Forest for the remainder of the season, was blocked by the EFL over the late submission of certain paperwork required for the move to go through.

Rovers though, have appealed to have that decision overturned, and while they have so far been unsuccessful, it seems they have not given up yet.

Reports on Monday claimed that the Championship play-off hopefuls are now hiring a top Manchester based legal firm, in a bid to have the rejection of O'Brien registration by the EFL cancelled out.

The fact though, that Rovers are going to such lengths, suggests it could be some time yet before this situation is resolved, and that could be causing more than just one issue for Jon Dahl Tomasson's side on the pitch.

Given O'Brien played a huge role in Huddersfield's own unexpected run to the Championship play-off final last season, not having a player with his experience and ability of that sort of situation will undoubtedly be a loss in the centre of the park for Rovers.

However, it can also be argued, that this ongoing could be harming Blackburn, when it comes to their options in another position as well.

Back in the January transfer window, the recall of centre forward George Hirst from his loan spell at Ewood Park by his parent club Leicester, left Rovers in need of another addition in that area of the pitch.

Indeed, a number of options, such as Brighton's Deniz Undav, Leeds' Joe Gelhardt and Ibrahima Kone of Lorient, were all linked, only for the club to miss out on the signing of a centre forward altogether.

That is something that poses a problem for Blackburn, given the form most of their current attacking options are in.

Top scorer Ben Brereton-Diaz has not found the net in the Championship since the start of November, while the last of Sam Gallagher's four league goals during the current campaign, came in October.

Jack Vale meanwhile, is still yet to score in 17 second-tier appearances for the club to date, with the 21-year-old finding it difficult to make an impact at this level so far.

As a result, it does seem as though Rovers need to add more firepower to their ranks, and ordinarily, there may be a suggestion they should be looking towards the free agent market to do that.

However, this is where the O'Brien deal may complicate things in that respect. While the fact that they were able to agree personal terms with the midfielder for a deal suggests there is still space in the wage budget for the rest of this season, it remains to be seen where that will be allocated.

Indeed, if Blackburn were to allocate some of that wage currently set aside for the potential O'Brien deal to the signing of a free agent striker, only for their appeal over the Forest man to then be successful, there could be questions that emerge over whether the club have the finances for both agreements.

Given the way their reputation has already taken something of a hit due to the way that saga has played out, that is a situation they will therefore want to avoid for any number of reasons.

Consequentially, you feel that any move for a free agent centre forward to potentially boost that attacking threat will have to wait until a final decision emerges on O'Brien, which, as has already mentioned, could be some time to come yet.

Indeed, it could also be argued that the funds being spent on this appeal, and legal representation, may also impact what is available in the budget for any potential free agent recruits.

In the mean time, it seems as though the Ewood Park club will have to continue on for with an attack that for the most part, is hard to see scoring again any time soon.

With that in mind, if you are a Blackburn fan, then thank goodness for the resurgence of Bradley Dack.