"Very surprised" - Blackburn Rovers owners named as Premier League hopes written off | OneFootball

FLW's Blackburn Rovers fan pundit provided his thoughts on the club's current situation

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Blackburn Rovers have been predicted to finish some way off potentially securing a long-awaited return to the Premier League until a tangible resolution is found to their ongoing ownership issues.

Refreshing and relative positivity surrounds Ewood Park at the minute, with Blackburn having completed a solid summer transfer window of business despite losing last season's Championship top goalscorer Sammie Szmodics to Ipswich Town.

With funds available following the departure, however, John Eustace was able to add the likes of Balasz Toth and Todd Cantwell to his ranks late on into the window after bringing in Makhtar Gueye and Yuki Oshahi, while also striking loan deals for Amario Cozier-Duberry and Owen Beck.

Blackburn have started the season in impressive form and find themselves situated 5th in the league table heading into the international break, and they are one of just five Championship teams yet to lose from their opening four matches.

But the inability to administer the requisite funds from Rovers' controversial ownership group, the Venky's, owing to ongoing legal issues back in India, has tightened the club's purse strings and makes it difficult to envisage an end to their long-term absence from the top-flight anytime soon.

Blackburn Rovers ownership verdict given

According to Football League World's resident Rovers fan pundit Toby Wilding, Blackburn are in a position where they simply have to rely on selling financial assets to stay afloat and that means a Premier League return is a long shot until the ownership situation is rectified.

"I think we've seen this summer with Sammie Szmodics that as soon as a player has a season of that level, that interest is going to come from the Premier League," Toby explained to Football League World.

"Right now Blackburn aren't in a financial position where they can afford to turn those deals down when you look at the situation with the owners, who are still having to go through the courts in India to put funds into the club.

"It makes it absolutely vital that players such as Szmodics and Adam Wharton, looking back to January, are sold to keep the club going in terms of signing new players to keep them at this level and also to just keep the club running as a business as well.

"So I think until that situation back in India for the owners gets sorted out, this does feel like a club that is very much set for mid-table in the Championship in terms of the squad it puts together.

"I think even going back before these issues came up for the owners, the spending was limited and I'm not sure it really went to the point where Blackburn could put a squad together that was capable of challenging for the Premier League.

Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn certainly did not splash the cash this summer on any of their incomings, despite selling Szmodics to the Premier League.

Their window was not indicative of a team with promotion credentials either, but they do deserve some praise for managing to be resourceful with a very limited budget and still bringing in some exciting additions to the squad.

Toby stands correct in saying they are in no fit position to plot a Premier League return due to the state of play with the Venky's at the minute, but they could have done a lot worse given what they have to work with.