Blackburn Rovers should consider re-visiting Portsmouth FC transfer interest: Opinion | OneFootball

Highlights

Going into this summer's transfer window, it was clear that the addition of some new centre forward options had to be on the agenda for Blackburn Rovers.

A lack of senior established options in that position had cost Jon Dahl Tomasson's side dearly in the second half of last season.

That came with a string of missed chances in matches eventually leading to Rovers only finishing level on points with sixth-placed Sunderland in the Championship table, but missing out on a place in the play-offs on goal difference by a considerable margin, having spent much of the campaign in the top six.

That need was then further enhanced by the departures of two of Rovers' top scorers from last season - Ben Brereton-Diaz and Bradley Dack - following the expiration of their contracts at Ewood Park.

In the end, Rovers would indeed bring in some new centre forwards, with both Niall Ennis and Semir Telalovic joining the Lancashire club on long term deals.

But despite that, there may be an argument that centre forward is an area Blackburn will need to address again, once the transfer window reopens in January.

Why would Blackburn need to sign another centre forward in January?

Following their arrivals at Ewood Park this summer, both Ennis and Telalovic have so far found game time somewhat hard to come by in Tomasson's team.

Fitness issues mean that Ennis has so far made just three substitute appearances in 11 Championship games for Blackburn this season.

Telalovic meanwhile, has come off the bench on five occasions in the league for Rovers, amounting to just 57 minutes on the pitch so far, as Tomasson looks to give him time to adapt to a new country and new level, after joining from the fourth-tier in his native Germany.

There have also been issues over Rovers' longer serving senior centre forward in the form of Sam Gallagher, who is also in the middle of an extended spell out through injury, as he enters the final few months of his contract at Ewood Park.

So with Ennis and Telalovic yet to get their chance to really show what impact they can make, and Gallagher also unavailable with questions over his future potentially set to emerge, the fact that Rovers have again missed a string of big chances this season, means they may need to look for another centre forward in the January.

Weekly wages: Blackburn Rovers' top-10 highest earners (Ranked)

Should they elect to do that, then there is a case to be made that Blackburn ought to be revisiting their interest in a former target, who is currently enjoying an excellent spell in League One with Portsmouth.

Would Colby Bishop be a good signing for Blackburn?

In the lead-up to this summer's transfer window, it was reported that Blackburn were among the clubs to be showing an interest in Portsmouth striker Colby Bishop.

That came after a prolific campaign in the third-tier with Pompey for Bishop last season, and he has backed that up during the current campaign, where he has been key to the club's early charge for promotion.

The fact he is continuing to be a reliable source of goals at that level, even with the pressure of a promotion push, there is an argument that Bishop may now be ready to step up to the Championship, and Blackburn's potential further need for a centre forward means they ought to be the sort of club that should be targeting him.

Indeed, the fact that Bishop has featured in every Portsmouth league game since the start of last season, may go some way to easing the fitness concerns Rovers have had to deal with when it comes to recent signings.

Meanwhile, the striker's past success with another Lancashire club, Accrington Stanley, also suggest he may be able to settle in well if he does return to the area with a move to Ewood Park.

Admittedly, the fact he has a contract with Portsmouth until the summer of 2025, and that his current club are making the running in the League One title race, means it may not be easy for Rovers to convince those concerned to make this move.

But with a January transfer battle for Rovers midfielder Adam Wharton seemingly a possibility amid claims the Championship club have placed a £20million price tag on the 19-year-old, suggests they may be able to raise the funds for this potential deal.

Beyond that, the fact they were able to convince Ennis to join in the summer, just weeks after he had helped Plymouth Argyle to the League One title, could arguably give them confidence of tempting Bishop to make a similar move to Ewood Park at the turn of the year.

With all that in mind, it does therefore seem that as Blackburn continue to put their plans in place for the January transfer window, revisiting a move for Bishop at that point, is not something that the decision makes at Ewood Park, ought to be ruling out too quickly.