That’s exactly what the Rovers head coach was crying out for before a late flurry to end the transfer window. He wanted competition in every position and now it’s his job to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
That starts at Ewood Park against Bristol City this weekend, with Eustace looking to lead his time to three league home wins to begin the campaign. Bristol City were tonked 3-0 by Derby County before the international break and so will be keen to appease their supporters with a better display.
The late activity leaves Rovers fans wondering what their best XI might look like and how long until new signings make their debut.
We hypothesise on this very subject and look at the decisions facing Eustace this weekend.
The obvious first consideration is who will be in goal for Blackburn Rovers. Aynsley Pears has been the undisputed number one since Thomas Kaminski departed for Luton Town.
But there’s new competition for the 26-year-old now. Balazs Toth missed the opportunity to train with his team-mates as he was whisked away for Hungary’s Nations League matches, though he is number two for his country.
Toth made it clear in his opening interview that he wants the number one shirt and has made this move with the intention of playing. Throughout the summer, Eustace has reiterated that the desire to recruit a new goalkeeper was not a reflection of Pears’ performances but the need for competition.
It’s impossible to know how any foreign important will perform. There are so many variables. How will they settle, can they handle the physicality? Leopold Wahlstedt was out in 12 months and didn’t stand the test of time.
I don’t see Eustace parachuting Toth in straight away. He’s had very little time to work with his new team-mates and Pears is the number one, it’s his shirt to lose.
So I’d be very surprised to see Toth called in this weekend and there might be a bit of a delay for his debut, considering Rovers are out of the Carabao Cup too.
Left-back dilemma
Owen Beck’s Rovers debut couldn’t have gone much better, in reality. After a nervy first 15 minutes, he rose to the occasion and left fans purring by full-time.
In the heat of the East Lancs derby, he stood up and showed he could play as good a game as he talks. The Liverpool loanee came with good reviews and now Rovers fans are impressed as well.
Harry Pickering is expected to be available again after his back injury that ruled him out of the derby. Therefore, there’s going to be a big fight for that left-back shirt.
Pickering is a trusted lieutenant and starts every league game he’s available for. But, based on performance, Beck has the shirt and did little to justify him losing it.
My gut feeling is that the Liverpool man will drop to the bench and Pickering will return, which would feel a little bit harsh.
How to configure the attack
Rovers have options in their forward line, even if they lose Makhtar Gueye through suspension. The striker will sit this one out after his red card against Burnley.
Yuki Ohashi is primed and ready to take that number nine role but the rest of the attacking will be interesting. Todd Cantwell and Amario Cozier-Dubbery will both be pushing for debuts.
The former admitted that he’s now fully up to match speed after spending pre-season away from the main group at Rangers. In all likelihood, he’ll be on the bench.
That means Tyrhys Dolan can continue in his newly-favoured number 10 role. Andi Weimann is likely to start too given his performance and sublime strike against Burnley.
Cozier-Dubbery favours the right so unless Weimann moved central and Dolan went to the left, Ryan Hedges is primed to keep that spot too.
So, if we were having a punt, Rovers might need to wait for the second half to get a glimpse of their three deadline day recruits.
