Blackburn Rovers should pursue Rak-Sakyi's Crystal Palace teammate if deal cannot be done: Opinion | OneFootball

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For Blackburn Rovers, there is still plenty of work to do before the summer transfer window closes at the end of this month.

The Championship club have already added Niall Ennis, Sondre Tronstad, Arnor Sigurdsson and Leopold Wahlstedt to their ranks since the market opened earlier this summer.

But in a period that has also seen them lose the like of Ben Brereton-Diaz, Bradley Dack, Thomas Kaminski, Daniel Ayala, Ash Phillips, Tyler Morton, Sorba Thomas and Tayo Edun since the end of last season, there are still plenty of voids in Jon Dahl Tomasson's squad that need to be filled.

One player it seems Rovers have set their sights on as they look to boost their numbers is Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, who enjoyed an excellent spell on loan in League One with Charlton Athletic during the 2022/23 campaign.

However, while he would be an excellent signing for Rovers, there is still no guarantee that they will be able to seal a deal for the 20-year-old.

What are Blackburn's chances of signing Rak-Sakyi?

It does seem as though Blackburn are in the race to sign Rak-Sakyi at the very least, given it has been reported that the Lancashire outfit have held talks with the winger about a season-long loan move.

Yet it appears they are far from the only club to have done so, with fellow Championship sides Leicester, Ipswich, Hull and Birmingham all also said to be in negotiations over a temporary move for Rak-Sakyi.

Meanwhile, Palace manager Roy Hodgson has recently suggested that, as things stand, his side do not have the numbers available out wide, to allow Rak-Sakyi to leave Selhurst Park.

As a result, there are some significant hurdles that Blackburn will have to overcome, if they are to have a chance of securing the services of Rak-Sakyi for the remainder of the campaign.

Should they ultimately be unsuccessful in winning the battle to secure the services of Rak-Sakyi until the end of this season, then it could be argued that alone should not be enough for Blackburn to turn their attentions away from Palace in their search for reinforcements on the wing, thanks to a previous target.

Which Crystal Palace player could Blackburn look to as a Rak-Sakyi alternative?

Back in last season's January transfer window, it was reported that Rovers were interested in a loan move for another Crystal Palace right-winger, in the form of Malcolm Ebiowei.

Ultimately, that move failed to materialise, with Ebiowei, who joined Palace from Derby amid the Rams' financial struggles, back in the summer of 2022, instead spending the second half of last season on loan at Hull.

That move to the Tigers for the second half of last season would however, prove to be a difficult one for the 19-year-old, who failed to score or provide an assist in 12 league games for Liam Rosenior's side.

Even so, that does not mean that Ebiowei is a player that should be completely written off by the likes of Blackburn, as they consider potential alternative options to Rak-Sakyi.

Could Ebiowei be a good signing for Blackburn?

While Ebiowei's time at Hull may not have been the most productive in terms of goals and assists, it is worth noting that he perhaps did not get a proper chance to impress.

The teenager started just five games for the Tigers, and completed 90 minutes on just three occasions during that loan spell, so more game time could have allowed him to build some momentum required to make a more significant impact.

Indeed, it should also be remembered that Ebiowei made a considerable impression in the Championship during what was an incredibly testing period for Derby prior to his move to Palace, with a string of eye-catching performances.

As a result, the winger does have the potential to still play an important role at this level, and while much of the attention is on Rak-Sakyi, it could be a smart move for a club such as Blackburn, to slip under the radar with a move for Ebiowei instead.

Indeed, the fact they have shown interest in the 19-year-old before, means they ought to be well aware and prepared with regards to what they would be getting, if a deal such as this was to go through.