Blackburn Rovers interest in EFL hot-shot can not be seen as a Sammie Szmodics replacement: View | OneFootball

The striker is a Blackburn target after a great season in League Two with Newport County, however, he may not be Championship-ready.

Highlights

Blackburn Rovers will be looking for a replacement for Sammie Szmodics this summer, with all signs pointing to the striker departing Ewood Park in the transfer window.

Newport County's Will Evans has been identified as a target for Rovers, according to The Daily Mirror's Live Transfer Blog (21/06, 12:10).

Despite playing in League Two for the last two seasons, he is said to be a target for multiple clubs in the Championship.

The soon-to-be 27-year-old joined the Exiles in June 2022 on a free from fellow Welsh side Bala Town, after starting his semi-professional career with Cardiff Metropolitan University in the Cymru Premier League.

Evans will have big boots to fill if he does join Blackburn, with Szmodics expected to play Premier League football next season after winning the Championship Golden Boot last time out, with 27 goals in 44 matches. However, with such a lack of experience in the higher divisions, it is not a move that will inspire Rovers fans.

Evans is a risk in the Championship

The 26-year-old has played just two seasons of professional football in his career so far, despite his age, and with Blackburn only just surviving in the Championship in 2023/24, Evans is not the replacement that the club should be looking for.

Although he finished last season with 21 goals in League Two, he struggled to adapt in his first season at Rodney Parade.

The Welsh striker scored just twice in the league in his debut year, despite starting in 27 of his 45 appearances. A repeat of this stuttering start is not needed for Blackburn, who will need to hit the ground running to stay away from relegation in the upcoming season.

Szmodics' goals in the last campaign equated to a gain of 16 points, as Rovers survived by three points. A brace on the final day of the season against already-promoted Leicester City kept the club in the second tier for a seventh consecutive season.

With the step-up from League Two to the Championship, Evans may need time to adjust and might not be able to be relied upon in the same fashion as Szmodics, who is two years his senior.

Szmodics transfer latest

Contrary to the rumoured interest, Blackburn are still yet to receive a formal bid, according to the Lancashire Telegraph. Alan Nixon has reported in the past that the Championship side are hoping to secure a fee between £15-20 million for the Republic of Ireland striker, with Premier League sides Brentford and Everton looking at the forward.

However, manager John Eustace is keen to keep hold of his rampant goalscorer, and with Evans looking the likely option as a replacement, it is clear to see why he wants to see Szmodics leading the line once again next season.

The 2023/24 campaign was the 28-year-old's best in terms of numbers, scoring nearly double the number of goals as his previous best season back in 2018/19 for Colchester United, where he scored 14 times in League Two.

If Szmodics struggles to repeat last year's form in the upcoming season, no matter the club he is at, it may be shrewd business from Blackburn to let go now, before it is too late.

A partnership could be the way forward

With Eustace so keen to hold on to his star from last season, Evans may just fit in better alongside Szmodics.

Playing with two up top, Blackburn will have a great goalscoring threat. It could allow Evans to learn and adapt to the Championship across the season, potentially leading to the exit of Szmodics at a later date.

Currently, Evans does not have the experience to lead the line in the second tier. With just two seasons in the professional game, he still needs time to build his reputation and become the threat that Rovers must have to maintain their status in the Championship.

If not, then a proven goalscorer from a higher division must be signed - it is not a time in which Rovers can be lapse in the forward department after such a narrow survival last season.