"It's a concern" - Blackburn Rovers verdict given amid John Eustace, Stoke City talk | OneFootball

The Rovers manager spent four-and-a-half years at the Potters as a player.

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...

John Eustace has enjoyed a fantastic start to the new Championship season following a difficult beginning to life at Blackburn Rovers.

The Lancashire-based club are currently third in the table after five matches, and are one of three clubs to remain undefeated in the league so far in 2024/25.

This start has been a far cry from the trouble that Blackburn found themselves in last season, with the club staving off relegation on the final day of the campaign thanks to a Sammie Szmodics double against champions Leicester City.

It will come as no surprise then that Eustace has been linked with the now vacant role at Stoke City, after Steven Schumacher was sacked on Monday morning.

Nevertheless, this has prompted fears from the Ewood Park faithful that they may lose the man that has been behind their unbelievable start to the season.

Stoke have every right to be a fan of Eustace

Blackburn's opening five matches have been a fantastic advertisement for their young manager, who struggled to have a true impact when he first arrived in February.

Eustace failed to win any of his home games in charge of Rovers last season, a statistic that he quickly put to bed in 2024/25, beating Derby County on the first weekend 4-2 at Ewood Park.

This early run of form has led to the former Stoke player being considered for the managerial job at the bet365 Stadium, as per Graeme Bailey on X, a situation that worries Football League World 's Blackburn Fan Pundit, Toby Wilding.

When asked his thoughts over Eustace's future, Toby told FLW: "It's a concern because obviously Eustace, being a former Stoke player, there is a connection there that may appeal to him. Obviously, Stoke are a club that he knows he would be backed by if he was to make that move there.

"He's not going to be a manager that Rovers will want to lose, he's done an incredible job at the start of this season. He’s brought back a sense of belief to the fan base and has instilled a real passion and pride in the club and in what the squad are doing, so it would be a big, big loss for him to go," he started.

"But I'd like to think that Rovers won't make it easy for Stoke to get him. I think he is under contract until the end of next season, so we certainly shouldn't be letting a manager who's doing so well go to a rival easily.

"I think if you look at the transfer window that Blackburn have just had, many fans are in pretty much unanimous agreement that it's one of the best the club have had for quite some time, so clearly Eustace should feel he's going to be back here."

Toby continued: "When he looks at the squad he's got and what he might be able to do with it, certainly on the evidence from the start of the season, you would like to think that he would be inclined to stay here and see how far he can take this team.

"So, there's a concern there, but equally, I'm really keen to see him stay and hope that, eventually, the circumstances mean that he will."

Eustace's transfer policy proves ability

It can be said that while Blackburn have impressed on the pitch this season, it has been the off-field decisions by Eustace that has led to their success.

After losing both Sammie Szmodics and Sam Gallagher in the summer to Ipswich Town and Stoke, many supporters feared an even greater slip down the table.

However, the additions of Makhtar Gueye and Yuki Ohashi have transformed the team into serious early play-off contenders. Ohashi, in particular, has proven to be an extraordinary signing, scoring four goals in his first five Championship appearances.

Stoke have missed the boat in not giving Eustace the summer transfer window if he is approached over the vacant position, but with a decent squad already at the bet365 Stadium, the current Blackburn manager could easily slot in, much to the disappointment of Rovers supporters.