The January 2026 Transfer Window

[RossendaleBlue3]

It's just abundantly clear that this is why nobody gets a new contract when they deserve one..... Because they are unwilling to add to the wage budget

A shifting out of the old guard, being replaced by Rudy randoms is nothing to do with creating assets, it's about bringing the wage bill and ultimately running costs down. With the hope that they land on their feet and can flip one for good profit

I would be extremely surprised if Alebiosu doesnt move on at the end of this window

 

[47er]

24 minutes ago, TugaysMarlboro said:

This will see us relegated and slide down the leagues. If we're offering wages lower or the same as we were 3-4 years ago , the quality of players we'll attract will drop.

It's also likely to be more cost effective to up a current players wage rather than having to find a replacement in the transfer market considering there's so many additional costs the headline fee doesn't take into account.

Venkys must know this. I agree with those who say they are grinding us down to a level they are financially comfortable with. Its their expenditure  level that counts---not what league we are in.

Once that level is reached that will be where we stay. No possibility of recovery. Its a very gloomy prospect.

A dead club playing to even smaller crowds in a lowly league.

Edited 7 hours ago by 47er

[KentExile]

2 minutes ago, 47er said:

Venkys must know this. I agree with those who say they are grinding us down to a level they are financially comfortable with. Its their expenditure  level that counts---not what league we are in.

Once that level is reached that will be where we stay. No possibility of recovery. Its a very gloomy prospect.

A dead club playing.

I'm not sure they do

They have probably just asked Pasha to deal with that bothersome football club (and not bother them about it)  and then completely forgotten about us

Pasha onto a good thig that he doesn't want to end by advising them that the obvious answer is to sell up

Edited 7 hours ago by KentExile

[47er]

Just now, KentExile said:

I'm not sure they do

They have probably just asked Pasha to deal with that bothersome football club (and not bother them about it)  and then completely forgotten about us

You could be right. Either way they are unfit owners. Yet we have fans saying "where would we be without them?"

[davulsukur]

3 minutes ago, 47er said:

Venkys must know this. I agree with those who say they are grinding us down to a level they are financially comfortable with. Its their expenditure  level that counts---not what league we are in.

Once that level is reached that will be where we stay. No possibility of recovery. Its a very gloomy prospect.

A dead club playing to even smaller crowds in a lowly league.

Absolutely drives me insane this.

Why do they still own us if all they want to do is put us in league 2 and keep us there? 

Just sell the fucking club.

[47er]

Just now, davulsukur said:

Absolutely drives me insane this.

Why do they still own us if all they want to do is put us in league 2 and keep us there? 

Just sell the fucking club.

But who would buy us.....?!!

[Emerald Isle Rover]

Until venkys are gone nothing is going to change. We can argue/debate multiple things but the bottom line is whilst venkys are here we will just be a champ/league 1 team. Sad part about it all is I have resigned myself to this reality 

[alcd]

6 minutes ago, 47er said:

Venkys must know this. I agree with those who say they are grinding us down to a level they are financially comfortable with. Its their expenditure  level that counts---not what league we are in.

Once that level is reached that will be where we stay. No possibility of recovery. Its a very gloomy prospect.

A dead club playing to even smaller crowds in a lowly league.

Absolutely nailed on that's what's happening. It's been obvious for at least the past 12 months. 

[RevidgeBlue]

7 minutes ago, KentExile said:

I'm not sure they do

They have probably just asked Pasha to deal with that bothersome football club (and not bother them about it)  and then completely forgotten about us

Pasha onto a good thig that he doesn't want to end by advising them that the obvious answer is to sell up

💯

but as 47 er says that doesnt excuse the owners in any way before RF99 starts!

[RevidgeBlue]

4 minutes ago, Emerald Isle Rover said:

Until venkys are gone nothing is going to change. We can argue/debate multiple things but the bottom line is whilst venkys are here we will just be a champ/league 1 team. Sad part about it all is I have resigned myself to this reality 

Id say League1/League 2/non League personally the way things are headed. Think our Championship tenure will be extremely brief now.

[RossendaleBlue3]

13 minutes ago, 47er said:

Venkys must know this. I agree with those who say they are grinding us down to a level they are financially comfortable with. Its their expenditure  level that counts---not what league we are in.

Once that level is reached that will be where we stay. No possibility of recovery. Its a very gloomy prospect.

A dead club playing to even smaller crowds in a lowly league.

It does beg the question of what do they even get out of owning us

 

And it also begs the question of who profits off this operating model..... The people complicit in enforcing it.... Who earn a pretty penny for doing so

[Emerald Isle Rover]

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

Id say League1/League 2/non League personally the way things are headed. Think our Championship tenure will be extremely brief now.

Possibly, the slight hope I maintain is we have a good academy and then praying to whatever god there is that venkys just simply Fcuk off…

[47er]

1 minute ago, Emerald Isle Rover said:

Possibly, the slight hope I maintain is we have a good academy and then praying to whatever god there is that venkys just simply Fcuk off…

Well they'll all die eventually. The trouble is---so will we!

[roversinmyblood]

Venkies are slowly killing this wonderful club of ours, but they’re killing its fans much quicker. The hope of possibly better to come keeps us going, but it’s hope that kills us. 

[B16Rover]

Amazed Robbie Ure hasnt appeared as a scouting option.  Ex Rangers, Anderlecht, coming off the back of a good scoring season in Sweden for a middling club.  More of the Gudjohnsen mould but works a bit harder and involves himself more 

[RevidgeBlue]

56 minutes ago, B16Rover said:

Apologies as I am not a football financier. 

 

Just because Gueye was on 5k a week, doesn't mean we can't use some of the transfer fee (equivalent to 34k a week) to sign a proper striker 

Well, yes it does, unless they're coming in on a free (which would indicate they're not going to be much good anyway)

And hypothetically, even if they did come in on a free but were on 20k p.w. (which you'd expect anyone half decent to be on) the Gueye money would be gone in less than 2 seasons.

The maths dont add up whichever way you look at it. It's like I've always said, (decent) strikers cost money which is why we nearly always neglect those positions and end up with cheap squad fillers in other positions instead.

Another couple of TGH's on subsidised wages anyone?

[B16Rover]

5 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Well, yes it does, unless they're coming in on a free (which would indicate they're not going to be much good anyway)

And hypothetically, even if they did come in on a free but were on 20k p.w. (which you'd expect anyone half decent to be on) the Gueye money would be gone in less than 2 seasons.

The maths dont add up whichever way you look at it. It's like I've always said, (decent) strikers cost money which is why we nearly always neglect those positions and end up with cheap squad fillers in other positions instead.

Another couple of TGH's on subsidised wages anyone?

Just to throw in here, I wasn't being sincere.  I know why we don't do it I was just being a nuisance 

[roversfan99]

Because we wont spend competitive wages, we will end up going down in the near future.

Many key players already gone, Tronstad set to go in the summer, Cantwell will go, Toth will go.

Cadamarteri is not very good and Wednesday fans dont seem arsed that he seems likely to go even considering their lack of players. Has really struggled to score any goals at this level and didnt do too well in League 1 on loan. As 4th or 5th choice as a prospect, maybe, but that would involve us signing a quality striker to regularly start and that wont happen here.

Was Ismael trying to apply some pressure by saying get players in before Hull or did he genuinely believe it?

[JHRover]

I do wonder with these owners. You'd think that they would know that their policies are going to result in a long spell outside the top 2 divisions sooner rather than later. But by the same measure I wonder whether their dogsbody has simply told them to leave it to him and he'll cut their costs whilst delivering the same outcome - mid-table Championship - for much less money.

Who knows. It really wouldn't surprise me if the dogsbody had gone to India and sold them a dream - that he could run it all for them and save them millions on what it was costing under Mowbray and the end result would be the same as we were getting previously. No doubt a nice bonus tucked away for him in there too. 

Up to this point that plan must have gone swimmingly as the remains of Mowbray/JDTs squad have been picked away at every window, a few million here and there, significant wage cuts, no serious new contracts issued. Amazingly JDT and Eustace managed to overcome that and annoyingly get us into promotion contention, raising expectations and demands for investment, most inconvenient. 

Now the dogsbody has got his own little gang together to remove any 'unreasonable' demands and fully support his 'project', but unfortunately the chickens are coming home to roost soon as years of negligence and cuts come back to bite.

Or the flip side is that Venkys are the ones instructing him on what to do and due to their own circumstances are enforcing these cuts, still not learning that this will cost them more in the longer run if they don't sell up when League One arrives and there are no more assets to sell for profit. 

[KentExile]

3 minutes ago, JHRover said:

I do wonder with these owners. You'd think that they would know that their policies are going to result in a long spell outside the top 2 divisions sooner rather than later. But by the same measure I wonder whether their dogsbody has simply told them to leave it to him and he'll cut their costs whilst delivering the same outcome - mid-table Championship - for much less money.

 

That assumes they have even the feintest idea what average running costs of clubs are

For all we know, Pasha, who they trust for whatever mad reason, has told them that we/they are spending more than every other team in the country

[Gamst]

If you don’t pay championship wages the inevitable outcome is relegation. Whether that’s this season or somewhere down the line. If we survive this season which is quite possible then we will be without even more senior pros next year (Tronstad, Hedges, Cantwell, Pickering) and we will need to sell promising players like Alebiosu and Toth as they will want more money to sign a new contract and we won’t want to lose them for a free transfer. Once again we will need to find 10 + unknown players from overseas to fill the gaps. They will have no championship experience because any player with any experience will want a higher salary. This model is flawed and the only logical endpoint is relegation. This is so obvious that you would need to assume that relegation and a league 1 team with smaller costs is the objective. So once again you have to ask the question why the hell do they bother?? 

[RevidgeBlue]

https://youtube.

com/shorts/1zTkBpfIc0A?si=VG05iyeVgAHPKRom

Ismael: Did you get me those 2 strikers we need then Suhail?

Suhail: Even better than that Val!

[Tomphil2]

I don't believe the fat mans spin we are making much profit on Gueye's initial transfer nobody is that stupid. There'll be a monumental set of add ons to that revolving around appearances and goals.

[USABlue]

On 09/01/2026 at 11:45, KentExile said:

Goalposts moved shocker! 

Who could have possibly predicted this?

 

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25753776.blackburn-rovers-latest-gueye-interest-striker-wish/

 

TLDR - Its difficult in January. hopefully by Ipswich

 

 

Valerien Ismael has confirmed that talks are ongoing over a potential exit for Makhtar Gueye – and hopes Rovers can bring in a couple of strikers before the end of the window

Recent reports claimed that Gueye could be heading to China but Ismael says that nothing has been finalised at this stage.

Yuki Ohashi has been leading the line following an injury to Andri Gudjohnsen, who had made a positive start in the Championship.

“The ideal is two,” Ismael told BBC Radio Lancashire. “It is clear that when you play with two strikers, you need to have four in the squad.

“Due to the change of shape, it changed massively the approach but now the team is very comfortable.

“All the data shows that we are really good in the 3-5-2 compared to the 4-2-3-1 in possession, winning duels more, second balls, more chances created.

“We have to support the team now and we need to strengthen the frontline, one but two would be perfect.

“It is difficult because in January windows everyone knows you are seeking players. Sometimes in negotiation, prices going higher at the last moment.

“At the same time, we need to move fast and especially in the attacking line, if we take a player and he is able to score straight away, it might be a game changer.

“This is my hope now until the next league game against Ipswich, that we are able to get some deals done and it would be then a great window for us.”

Rovers had previously been eager to tie signings down on permanent deals rather than loans, but Ismael suggested last week that the approach may have to change slightly due to the injury situation. Since then, Eiran Cashin arrived on loan from Brighton.

“Either way, it is important now to be flexible on that,” the boss insisted. “It is always good if you can get the player but I can understand at some point, if the negotiation is sticking and you need to move quickly, sometimes the loan is the best option for everyone.”

Gueye hasn’t started a league game this season and has been absent from recent squads, with the likes of Aodhan Doherty and Nathan Dlamini from the Academy preferred on the bench.

“There are talks ongoing so everything can happen every day now,” Ismael said on Gueye’s potential exit. “Let’s see how the negotiations are going between the clubs, we will see.

“At the minute, there is nothing new. There are talks ongoing. He trained yesterday, so let’s see what tomorrow brings.

“We are in a situation where you need to make some room as well on the list to sign some players, so at some point it means you need to release some players to give them the opportunity to play and make some room for us to move forward with the next one.”

 

Can't see us getting anyone, absolutely no way before Ipswich we are just not capable of doing deals that quickly not with all and sundry needing rubber stamped in Pune

[DE.]

8 minutes ago, USABlue said:

Can't see us getting anyone, absolutely no way before Ipswich we are just not capable of doing deals that quickly not with all and sundry needing rubber stamped in Pune

Indeed, but it doesn't matter. The excuses are already lined up - 'we tried but January is a difficult window', 'other clubs demands were unreasonable ', 'players were asking for ridiculous amounts' - and these excuses will be accepted by the majority of the remaining fan base. Even on here during the O'Brien debacle I remember there being a few people raging about the technicalities of the transfer deadline rather than blaming the club for failing to be able to do basic competent admin. 

Edited 6 hours ago by DE.