Blackburn Rovers' Chaotic Summer Transfer Window: Curwood's Frustration

Steve Curwood insists Blackburn Rovers did not lack ambition in a summer window he openly brands “chaotic” – but admits the frustration felt in the stands is shared in the boardroom.

The new chief executive, barely two months into the job after arriving from Fleetwood Town, has stepped into the firing line after a fraught deadline day that saw three deals collapse and only four new faces arrive.

“We’re frustrated”

Supporters have accused the club of sleepwalking through a vital window after seven players departed and key targets slipped away late on. Curwood does not try to sugar-coat it.

“Everyone is frustrated,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire. “Yes – it’s frustrating, we’re frustrated, and Tony (Mowbray) wanted that extra little bit of something which we haven’t managed to do.”

The sting came on deadline day. Rovers had multiple irons in the fire, only to see them snatched away at the last moment.

“Deals were on the table,” Curwood said. “Deals were agreed with players and clubs. We can talk about morals in football, maybe there aren’t too many now and that’s what’s happened.

“We were gazumped at the last minute on a couple of deals, and one was a foreign one which took a bit more time than you would anticipate.”

BBC Radio Lancashire understands two of those failed moves involved Reo Hatate, who instead joined Burnley, and Brian De Keersmaecker, who went to Bristol City.

Curwood’s defence is blunt: the money was there, the intent was there, the execution at the final hurdle was not.

“The investment has been there,” he said. “There hasn’t been a reluctance (from the board). There has been collaboration throughout the process. I think at the final hurdle we haven’t been able to get them over the line.”

The Mowbray factor and a “chaotic” window

This was no ordinary summer at Ewood Park. Michael O’Neill, who kept Blackburn in the Championship last season while combining the job with managing Northern Ireland, turned down the permanent post in mid-May. Only then did Rovers turn back to a familiar face, reappointing former boss Tony Mowbray on 5 June.

That delay, Curwood argues, shaped everything that followed.

“Ideally your manager will be in by the start of May to work out where are we going for next year,” he said. “So that timeline has been constrained somewhat, and then conflated by injuries.”

The result, in his words, was a “chaotic” window. Targets had to be juggled. Plans kept shifting. The club wrestled with a classic dilemma: move early for players you know you can land, or hold your nerve for first-choice options and accept the risk of missing out.

“If you want to do your deals early, maybe you can’t go after the best players sometimes,” Curwood explained. “You’ve got to either wait and go for target number one with this risk, or cement one in the building because we know we can get him, like Jayden Fevrier for example.”

Mowbray, back in charge and determined to put his stamp on the squad, wanted clarity of character as much as quality.

“We might highlight three or four targets, but Tony wants to make sure the people here want to be here and play for him,” Curwood said. “Was it the wrong thing to do to push for the specific players Tony wanted? These things happen when you try to be specific, but none of us want to just bring in players to add bodies in the building.”

Letting players go – and holding firm

Seven players left Blackburn over the summer, a number that has looked increasingly stark as missed signings have piled up. Curwood, though, stands by those calls.

“You’ve got to allow the manager to make certain decisions,” he said. “The squad list was top-heavy. Certain players needed game-time, like George Pratt going to Bradford.”

At the same time, Rovers did resist offers for several key men. BBC Radio Lancashire understands the club turned down bids for Ryoya Morishita, Sean McLoughlin, Balasz Toth, Yuki Ohashi and Ryan Alebiosu.

So while supporters see a squad that feels light, Curwood points to a deliberate effort to protect the core of the team and back Mowbray’s judgement on who stays and who goes.

A whirlwind start – and a promise

Curwood’s own arrival has come against a backdrop of churn behind the scenes. An administrator has left for another club. A senior physiotherapist has moved on. Processes, he says, are being rebuilt on the fly.

“It’s been a whirlwind since I arrived – with a transfer window, an adminstrator going to another club, and a senior physiotherapist leaving,” the 54-year-old said.

He has asked for patience, but not as a shield. More as a timeframe.

“The first 90 days will give me time to reflect and bring some of the processes this club need to improve where we are,” he said.

And then the line that will be replayed if Blackburn’s next window goes the same way as this one.

“We’ll be in a very different position moving into the next window, and beyond that.”

The frustration is real. The excuses, some fans will say, are wearing thin. The next few months will show whether Curwood and Mowbray can turn that promise into a squad worthy of the noise around Ewood Park.