Blackburn Rovers pocketed eight-figure transfer profit from brave Tony Mowbray call | OneFootball

The striker joined Rovers in 2018 and he made a huge impression before leaving for Premier League side Southampton.

Blackburn Rovers went into the 2017/18 campaign off the back of a dismal relegation to League One, with the Lancashire outfit playing in the third tier for the first time since 1980.

Tony Mowbray took charge at Ewood Park towards the end of Rovers' stay in the Championship, and while he was not able to keep his side in the division, the rebuild started and after a poor start, he soon had the team flying high up the table.

By the time January rolled around, it was clear to see that promotion back to the second tier was on the cards, but that did not stop the current West Bromwich Albion boss from adding to his squad in the transfer window.

He signed Adam Armstrong on loan for the rest of the season, and it was a decision that neither Mowbray nor Blackburn looked back on as he became a star in BB2.

Adam Armstrong put behind his former Championship struggles while with Blackburn Rovers

The striker had found it difficult in the past to settle at a club, having come through the ranks at Newcastle United before joining Barnsley, Bolton Wanderers and Coventry City on loan.

Inconsistency plagued him, but he quickly became a star at Ewood Park, and he fired in nine times in 21 appearances as Rovers won promotion to the Championship after just one season in League One.

That summer, Blackburn made Armstrong's deal a permanent one, as he left the Magpies for the second tier for a mere £1.75m on a four-year deal.

Despite his excellent work under Mowbray in the previous campaign, the then 21-year-old had not had the best of runs in the Championship previously and there is no doubt that there was an element of risk in the signing.

Those struggles continued in his first full year at Ewood Park, as the attacker scored just 5 times in 44 league games, but his team were able to survive the drop and finished 15th.

The jury was still out on Armstrong, but he quickly alleviated any fears of his ability to perform in the second tier by becoming a more consistent goalscorer. Blackburn benefited greatly from the 16 goals and six assists that he registered in 2019/20 as Rovers moved up four places to 11th.

Adam Armstrong netted Blackburn Rovers a much-needed healthy profit from Southampton deal

At 23, it was clear that he was starting to come into his own, and Mowbray continued to benefit. However, the rest of his team were struggling to perform and it was left to Armstrong to find the goals to help keep his side out of danger.

The Newcastle academy graduate did exactly that as he recorded 28 goals in 40 Championship matches to ensure that Blackburn avoided relegation and once again they finished 15th.

However, it was becoming increasingly more difficult for Rovers to keep hold of their main threat and in August 2021, he switched Lancashire for Hampshire as Southampton signed Armstrong for £15m.

The deal landed Blackburn an incredible eight-figure profit, and the risk that Mowbray had taken by signing the striker three years prior had paid off excellently.

For Southampton, Armstrong hasn't been effective in the Premier League, scoring just six times in 73 outings, but you could argue he was worth the expensive transfer fee for his Championship exploits last season, with his 37 goal contributions helping towards the Saints' immediate promotion back to the top tier of English football.