Rudy Gestede has revealed that Blackburn Rovers weren’t able to use the £10 million fee that they agreed with Ipswich Town for the sale of Sammie Szmodics.
Some feared that if the Irish international attacker left Ewood Park that the club might sink towards relegation. After all, it was only the heroic season of Szmodics that kept them up last time out.
Even with the bucket-load of goals that he scored, he had to net a further pair on the final day of the season, away at champions Leicester City, to secure Blackburn’s survival.
| Sammie Szmodics’ 23/24 Championship stats | |
|---|---|
| Apps | 44 |
| Starts | 44 |
| Goals | 27 |
| xG | 22.36 |
| Conversion rate | 19% |
| Assists | 4 |
| Big chances created | 7 |
| Stats taken from Sofascore | |
Ipswich toiled hard with Rovers over a deal for Szmodics. They initially wanted £20 million for him, but ended up agreeing a £10 million package, just in time for him to make his Premier League debut against Liverpool in Town’s first game back in the top flight.
The money earned from the sales of him and Adam Wharton in January is set to net the club a total of £30 million.
Blackburn haven’t been shy about spending this summer, following these completed deals. They bought the likes of Yuki Ohashi, Makhtar Gueye and Todd Cantwell before the window shut on August 30th, but they weren’t able to spend as much as they may have wanted to, as their head of football operations has revealed.
Rudy Gestede on how Blackburn spent the Sammie Szmodcis money
Speaking to the club’s channel, Rovers TV, the former player turned front office operator divulged that the £10 million package that was agreed for the sale of the 28-year-old wasn’t fully available for Blackburn to use this summer.
“We used a bit of money from the transfers we made but we have to understand that just because a player is sold for £10million, we have £10m to spend,” said Gestede.
“We don’t have the full payment up front, we have to all understand that. There are also Financial Fair Play rules we have to follow. It’s how we can manage it best during the transfer window, whether that’s because of salary restrictions or FFP.
“We have been able to spend a bit of money to sign talented players. We have the full support of the owners, the board has trusted us in this process.”
The Frenchman returned to Ewood Park in mid-June, following an embarrassing season of recruitment for Blackburn which included missing out on striker target Duncan McGuire because they saved the paperwork required to complete the transfer instead of sending it to the EFL, and therefore missed the deadline to sign him, according to The Athletic.
McGuire’s failed move to Rovers in January caused a lot of embarrasment, but they are not giving up on the chase for the USA striker
That happened in January, and Gestede is already putting his focus towards the next winter window.
“My priorities now are to prepare and plan for the next transfer windows and to ensure we are all aligned. Look at the other departments to support the first-team to make sure they can perform.
“There are always improvements to be made. Our recruitment, travelling and a few areas I want to improve. We have a great team to sit down and discuss.”
A noticeable change has happened since Rudy Gestede’s return
This summer’s recruitment has been very strong for Blackburn. In Ohashi they’ve found a gem that has hit the ground running and made an instant impact. They have also brought in strong experience through Andi Weimann, who will now be forever loved by Rovers faithful thanks to that volley against Burnley.
Andi Weimann that is RIDICULOUS! 😳
Blackburn draw level courtesy of an absolute screamer from the Austrian forward 🚀 pic.twitter.com/CxuFYs2ID9
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) August 31, 2024
But it’s deals like the one for Ohashi, Gueye and goalkeeper Balazs Toth that wouldn’t have been done under the previous regime on the football side of things.
There’s now a sharpness to the way that Rovers are acting, and it has come about since Gestede returned to Lancashire.
