Ex-Blackburn Rovers striker Francis Jeffers has offered his former club hope over replacing Sammie Szmodics – suggesting that they may benefit from having multiple strong forward options rather than just relying on the Ipswich Town summer signing.
John Eustace’s team are still unbeaten in the Championship in 2024/25, having won two of their opening four games, drawing the others.
They most recently took a point off bitter rivals Burnley at Turf Moor, with new signing Andreas Weimann scoring a wondergoal to share the spoils in the first East Lancashire derby of the season.
Supporters may have been worried about this season following a dismal campaign in 2023/24, with Blackburn surviving on the final day thanks to a double from Szmodics against champions Leicester City. Nevertheless, they have shown no hangover from their close call, and have been the surprise package.
Francis Jeffers has been impressed by Blackburn’s new attack
Not many Blackburn supporters would have foreseen this start after losing Szmodics to Ipswich in the transfer window.
The 28-year-old left a parting gift of a goal against Derby County on the opening weekend of the season, before heading to the Premier League in a deal that could rise to £11 million through add-ons.
Eustace brought in Makhtar Gueye and Yuki Ohashi this summer to help mitigate the loss of their talisman after his sale became a matter of not if, but when in the transfer window.
The two strikers have both scored already in the new campaign, with Gueye netting twice in the Carabao Cup, while Ohashi has three strikes to his name, two of those coming in the Championship.
Jeffers, who made 15 appearances for Rovers in the 2006/07 season, has given his thoughts to Football League World about the way his former club have adapted to the loss of Szmodics.
He said: “Full credit to Blackburn for the new strike force. Sometimes, having a number of forwards who can contribute is better than just one top striker who scores most of the goals.
“It’s good to see my old club proving doubters wrong and this start has been excellent.”
Blackburn must continue their form after the international break
Although Eustace should be proud of how his team have played in the opening four games before the league was stopped for the international break, he will know how quickly the table can change in the first few weeks of the season.
Blackburn started 2023/24 in a similar vein of form, picking up seven points out of 12 after the same number of matches. However, a dreadful run in the middle of the campaign pushed them closer to the relegation spots, with Eustace coming to the club in February to help stave off the drop.
| Blackburn Rovers Opening Four Games 2023/24 vs 2024/25 (TransferMarkt) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
| Wins | 2 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | 2 |
| Losses | 1 | – |
| Points | 7 | 8 |
| Goals Scored | 6 | 9 |
| Goals Conceded | 5 | 6 |
| League Position | 9th | 5th |
With there still being the potential to drop down the league at any point, Gueye and Ohashi must continue their goalscoring in the weeks to come, with the latter having to pick up the slack on Saturday against Bristol City after Gueye was sent off against Burnley.
Yet, with belief high in the team right now, and their opponents this weekend rocked after a heavy defeat to Derby at the end of August, there is a high chance that this impressive start could continue.
