Deadline Day in January is often frantic as sides look to bring in those players they feel can make some measure of difference over the slog that is the February-May part of their respective campaign. That is true of Blackburn Rovers and, in words carried by the Lancashire Telegraph, Tony Mowbray explains just why they missed out on Newcastle winger Christian Atsu.
Rovers didn’t add any players to their current squad during the winter window with Mowbray laying bare that potential deals were in place only for the Rovers manager to say “things fell away one at a time.” this falling away was typical of what happened with the Lancashire side’s pursuit of Newcastle’s 60-cap Ghana international Christian Atsu.
28-year-old Atsu joined the Magpies in July 2017 from Chelsae after a successful loan at St James’ Park. He’s since gone on to make 118 appearances (eight goals/nine assists) for Newcastle – a total which includes 18 Premier League appearances (three assists) in this season’s competition.
Commenting on the failed deal to bring him to Ewood Park, Mowbray said: “Ultimately we were going to spend a lot of money on a Premier League footballer who was surplus to requirements because of a signing his club had made. His wages were way out of our league, but yet that deal nearly happened, but that player didn’t want to leave his Premier League club.”
Commenting further on the issue, and providing clarification why this was, the Rovers boss stated: “His family situation dictated that [his reason for not leaving Newcastle], and we were left frustrated.”
The failure to bring any new players into the club means that Tony Mowbray must make do and mend with the players at his disposal. Blackburn are currently in 10th place in the Sky Bet Championship table, six points shy of Bristol City in 6th – the last of the playoff places.
