Blackburn Rovers massively hit the jackpot with £8m star and these 5 others | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at six signings who had a particularly positive impact at Blackburn Rovers

Former Premier League title winners Blackburn Rovers have endured mixed levels of success over the last 20 years, and were relegated from the top flight back in 2012.

Since dropping out of the Premier League 12-and-a-half years ago, the Lancashire side have predominantly resided in the Championship, although they did suffer further relegation to League One in 2017.

However, Rovers immediately bounced back to the second tier as they secured automatic promotion just a year later, and have resided in the second tier ever since, while supporters have enjoyed several positive memories of their club's players across all three of the Premier League, Championship and League One.

Football League World takes a look at six signings who had a particularly positive impact at Ewood Park and are still held in high regard by the Rovers faithful.

Jordan Rhodes

Jordan Rhodes is one of the most renowned Football League journeymen and has enjoyed goalscoring success with former club Huddersfield Town as well as his current side, Blackpool, over the years.

But some of the best seasons of his career arrived during his time for Rovers, where he spent three-and-a-half Championship campaigns before joining Middlesbrough midway through the 2015/16 season.

Following the club's aforementioned relegation from the Premier League, Rovers snapped up Rhodes' services for a handsome transfer fee of £8m.

But he soon proved to be worth every penny, as he notched 26 goals in 43 Championship outings for the Lancashire outfit, although it was only enough to help them secure a 17th-place finish.

The Scotland international was similarly prolific during the rest of his Rovers career before the club made a profit as they sold him to Boro in a deal worth over £9m.

Morten Gamst Pedersen

Morten Gamst Pedersen joined Rovers from Norwegian outfit Tromso during the summer of 2004 and subsequently became a name synonymous with top-flight football in the 2000s, a period which many English football fans view as being the Premier League's golden era.

Thanks to his wand of a left foot, Pedersen became a Blackburn legend and accumulated some 34 goals and 41 assists in 259 Premier League appearances.

He was still a mainstay in the Rovers side during the 2011/12 season, in which they suffered relegation to the Championship, but despite his club's struggles, managed to notch a top-flight return of three goals and five assists that campaign.

Pedersen then went on to make his mark on the Championship, as he produced a thoroughly decent return of one goal and seven assists in 28 second-tier outings.

The Norway international then joined Turkish side Karabukspor during the summer of 2013 and left behind a legacy as a Rovers legend and somewhat of a Premier League icon.

Yakubu Aiyegbeni

Simply known as Yakubu, the former striker is another figure who boasts a name that fans of the English game will look at, and feel a hint of nostalgia.

The Nigeria international was incredibly fun to watch and spent time in the Premier League with Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, and Everton before moving to Rovers during the summer of 2011.

The Ewood Park faithful will never forget his haul of 17 goals and two assists during the 2011/12 top-flight season, in which he made 32 appearances.

However, he spent just one campaign in Lancashire, before joining Chinese outfit Guangzhou City, although he would later return to the English game to represent both Reading and Coventry City prior to his retirement in 2017.

Bradley Dack

Bradley Dack arrived at Rovers during the club's time of need, after they had been relegated from the Championship following a dismal 2016/17 campaign.

But the attacking midfield ace delivered and then some for the Ewood Park side, as his impressive return of 18 goals and eight assists guided the club back to the second tier at the first time of asking.

He subsequently proved he could do it at Championship level too, as he notched 15 goals and seven assists in 42 second-tier outings the following campaign.

Dack's latter years with Rovers were badly affected by injuries but supporters will always fondly recall his goalscoring and assist-making exploits.

After joining Sunderland in 2023, where he reunited with former Rovers boss Tony Mowbray, the creative ace endured a similar spell of bad luck in terms of injury and is now back at Gillingham, where Blackburn initially bought him from back in 2017.

Scott Dann

Perhaps better known for his Crystal Palace days, defender Scott Dann also plied his trade in the Premier League for both Birmingham City and Blackburn, and also spent one-and-a-half Championship seasons with Rovers.

Dann moved to Ewood Park from Blues for a fee of £6m during the summer of 2011 and proved himself to be a solid centre-half throughout his tenure in Rovers colours.

He made 28 Premier League outings for the Lancashire club during the 2011/12 season but it was during the subsequent Championship campaign that he really proved his worth.

In fact, Dann was an ever-present for Rovers during the 2012/13 second-tier term and even showed that he could be dangerous at the other end of the field, as he scored four league goals.

Regrettably though, the Lancashire club would eventually make a loss on the centre-half's services, as he joined Palace for a reported £1.5m in January 2014.

He went on to become a real Selhurst Park stalwart, and would not leave the Eagles until moving to Reading ahead of the 2021/22 season, but Rovers should always be credited with playing a key part in his development, and will fondly remember his defensive performances.

Rudy Gestede

Rudy Gestede joined Rovers from then Premier League Cardiff City in January 2014, and instantly endeared himself to the Ewood Park faithful as he notched 13 goals in 27 appearances during the second half of the 2013/14 Championship season.

Largely thanks to his often unmatched aerial prowess, he then went on to score an eye-catching 20 goals in 39 second tier appearances during the following campaign.

After signing for Rovers for a bargain fee of £200k, he then joined Aston Villa for a much more handsome £6m, although he failed to display his prolific tendencies while at Villa Park.

He subsequently struggled at Middlesbrough, and, in a bizarre turn of events, represented Iranian top-flight outfit Estelghal during the 2021/22 season before he retired from playing.

But his love affair with Blackburn is set to continue, as after making his mark on the pitch for Rovers during years gone by, he was appointed as the club's Head of Football Operations last June.