Football League World
·6 July 2025
Blackburn Rovers must still regret £6.75m transfer - Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke saved the day

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·6 July 2025
Blackburn Rovers had mixed fortunes with their expensive forward signings in the 2001/02 campaign
Blackburn Rovers splashed the cash on Italian forward Corrado Grabbi in July 2001 but it was the arrivals of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole that helped re-establish the club in the Premier League.
It was reported that the Lancashire outfit paid £6.75 million to bring Grabbi to Ewood Park from Serie B side Ternana after he scored 20 goals in 34 league appearances the previous season.
Graeme Souness’ side had earned promotion to the top flight in 2001 and were looking to cement their place back in the division after a turbulent few years in the aftermath of their 1995 title win.
It was hoped that the Italian could play a key role in that, with the club wanting him to carry over his consistent goal-scoring form in England.
However, it wasn’t until Cole arrived later in the campaign that they had what they wanted from their forward options.
Grabbi made his competitive debut with a start against Derby County on 18 August in which he failed to score as the team lost 2-1.
The forward went goalless in his first five league appearances before finding the back of the net against Everton at home on 22 September.
However, that proved to be his only league goal throughout the entire season, making a total of just 14 appearances in the Premier League.
His influence waned even further across the next two years, playing only 16 more times in the Premier League between 2002 and 2004, including just one start.
Grabbi scored just one more time for the club in the league after that, as well as in a UEFA Cup match against CSKA Sofia, before departing the club for Ancona in 2004.
Despite his lack of goals, Blackburn were still able to make a competitive start to life back in the Premier League, coming 10th in that first season in the division before improving to sixth in 2003.
But Grabbi’s role in that impressive rise back up to the top end of English football was minimal, with the £6.75 million paid to sign him proving a real waste of resources.
Cole arrived at Ewood Park in December 2001 in a deal worth a reported £8 million.
This was another big fee for Blackburn to pay, but this time the club got it just right as the legendary forward got back into great form after an underwhelming end to his spell at Manchester United.
Cole scored nine times from 15 appearances in his first half-season with Blackburn, before contributing seven goals and six assists in the league in the following year.
By the summer of 2002, Rovers reunited Cole with his former strike partner Yorke, with the pair combining in spectacular fashion at Old Trafford.
Yorke contributed eight goals and three assists in the Premier League in his first season at Ewood Park, with the duo reeling in the years to help the club qualify for European competition.
They both spent one more season each at Ewood Park, with Cole and Yorke scoring 15 goals between them, but their league form declined leading to a 15th place finish.