Blackburn Rovers’ hierarchy did not want to provide major funds for Tony Mowbray to strengthen his squad over the summer in case they decide to part ways with him at the end of his current deal next summer, according to The Sun on Sunday (05/09/21, p62).

Rovers sanctioned a departure for Adam Armstrong during the summer transfer window with the forward eventually completing a move to the Premier League and joining Southampton.

However, Blackburn did not manage to bring in a direct replacement with them unable to add a new striker to their squad to replace the goal-scoring presence of their former star forward.

That came despite Blackburn having made a late move to try and agree a deal with Sheffield United that would have seen Oliver Burke head to Ewood Park on transfer Deadline Day.

It has now been reported by The Sun on Sunday (05/09/21, p62) that with Mowbray’s current contract expiring at the end of the season, Blackburn did not want to invest a lot of money on long-term additions in case he leaves Ewood Park ahead of next term.

The report adds that Blackburn’s budget was therefore limited to just bringing in loan players that would have been earning less than £10,000-a-week at Ewood Park.

The verdict

This update would suggest that Mowbray is struggling to maintain long-term confidence of Blackburn’s hierarchy.

That would also have to call into question whether he is going to remain at Ewood Park beyond the end of his current contract with the club.

Not signing a new striker this summer to replace Armstrong seems to be a serious oversight by Blackburn and it is one that could cause them a lot of issues during the Championship campaign.

Rovers were heavily reliant on Armstrong last term to finish off their chances and they did not manage to pull up any trees really in the Championship even with their forward firing in the goals in the final third.

Therefore, this could be another campaign where Mowbray has to battle to try and make progress but ultimately is not able to move Rovers any higher then the mid-table region of the Championship table.

It might for the best that Blackburn make a decision on Mowbray’s long-term future ahead of the January transfer window. That is potentially crucial because they can not afford doubts over their manager to prevent them from signing the players that they need to bolster their squad.