Blackburn Rovers will never spend a better £1.8m after hitting transfer jackpot: View | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers have a lot of thanks to give striker Sammie Szmodics, as without him, the club could be in League One next season.

The 2023/24 campaign was a very disappointing one for the Lancashire side, as the club in recent years found themselves competing further up the table, but that wasn’t the case this time around.

Rovers had to endure turbulence on and off the field this season, and that may have played a part in them being sucked into a relegation fight.

It was a nervous time for the club, as the second part of the season saw them fighting tooth and nail to pick up needed points.

Blackburn secured their Championship status for another season on the final day of the campaign, finishing in 19th place, but it could have been much worse for Rovers had they not had Szmodics in their side.

The forward was sensational all season, proving that Blackburn will unlikely spend a better £1.8 million than when they signed Szmodics from Peterborough United.

Blackburn spent £1.8 million on Sammie Szmodics

Sammie Szmodics started his career with Colchester United, where he spent over 10 years in the club’s academy.

In 2013, Szmodics was promoted to Colchester’s first team, and he stayed with the club until 2019.

The 28-year-old’s form for Colchester then earned him his move to Championship side Bristol City, but it was a move that never went to plan.

Szmodics spent six months with the Robins before he was shipped out on loan to Peterborough United for the rest of that season. The attacker impressed the Posh, and they signed him on a permanent deal.

The 28-year-old scored 27 goals and recorded 14 assists in 96 appearances for Peterborough in his two years at the club, and his form didn’t go unnoticed, as Blackburn Rovers signed him in the summer of 2022 in a deal that has later been confirmed to be worth £1.8 million.

At the time, his addition may have gone under the radar, but it must be stressed what a signing that has turned out to be for Blackburn, as they have hit the jackpot with his arrival.

Sammie Szmodics has always been among the goals throughout his career, but when he arrived at Ewood Park, he wasn’t known for being as prolific as he’s been in the 2023/24 season.

The 28-year-old has contributed with goals and assists, so when he was brought to the club in 2022, many Blackburn fans may have just expected him to contribute in parts and not have the impact he has had.

In the 2022/23 season, Szmodics struggled in terms of goals and even in his creativity, but in this campaign, that cannot be said, as the forward has been one of, if not the best, players in attack in the Championship.

Szmodics finished this season having played 44 times in the league, during which time he scored 27 goals, outperforming his xG, which stood at 22.36, as per Sofascore.com.

But the forward could have easily had more goals, as he averaged an impressive 3.3 shots per game, with 1.4 being on target, and he also missed a staggering 17 big chances. So, if he had put some of those chances away, you could be talking about Szmodics having scored 30 plus goals in the league.

As well as the goals, Szmodics also improved in his creative side of the game, as he created seven big chances for his side as well as collecting 1.1 key passes, all of which helped him grab four assists.

Szmodics finished the 2023/24 Championship season with a Sofascore statistical rating of 7.32.

Not many Blackburn fans would have predicted the 28-year-old to have had the season he had, especially given how he did last season. But the Lancashire side have been proved right by buying Szmodics in 2022, as without him they could easily be a League One team now.

Furthermore, his performances haven’t gone unnoticed, as teams like Sheffield United, Luton Town, Brentford, Fulham, and Celtic have all been credited with an interest in the forward.

So, that shows how well Szmodics has done this season, and even more so, if he were to leave Ewood Park this summer, the club would be getting a significant amount of money from the buyer, a lot more than the £1.8 million they spent two years ago.