Blackburn Rovers CEO Addresses Frustrations Over Chaotic Transfer Window
Steve Curwood did not try to sugar-coat it.
“Everyone is frustrated,” the new Blackburn Rovers CEO admitted, as he fronted up to a fanbase still simmering after a chaotic summer window that yielded just four signings and a string of near-misses.
Deals agreed, then lost
Rovers thought they had more. They thought they had them signed.
“Deals were on the table. Deals were agreed with players and clubs,” Curwood told BBC Radio Lancashire, before lifting the lid on what went wrong.
“We can talk about morals in football, maybe there aren't too many now and that's what's happened. We were gazumped at the last minute on a couple of deals, and one was a foreign one which took a bit more time than you would anticipate.”
BBC Radio Lancashire understands two of those late collapses involved Reo Hatate, who eventually joined Burnley, and Brian De Keersmaecker, who went to Bristol City. Three deadline-day moves in total fell apart as the clock ticked down.
For supporters, it felt like a pattern. For Curwood, it was a brutal lesson in timing and risk.
Backing Mowbray – and missing out
Curwood stressed that the club’s board had not held back financially.
“The investment has been there. There hasn't been a reluctance (from the board). There has been collaboration throughout the process. I think at the final hurdle we haven't been able to get them over the line,” he said.
The frustration is shared internally.
“Yes – it’s frustrating, we're frustrated, and Tony (Mowbray) wanted that extra little bit of something which we haven't managed to do.”
Mowbray, reappointed on 5 June after Michael O'Neill chose not to take the job permanently, pushed hard for specific targets. Curwood backed that approach, even if it meant living with the consequences.
“We might highlight three or four targets, but Tony wants to make sure the people here want to be here and play for him,” Curwood explained.
“Was it the wrong thing to do to push for the specific players Tony wanted? These things happen when you try to be specific, but none of us want to just bring in players to add bodies in the building.”
Jayden Fevrier was one of the deals Blackburn did manage to complete, an example Curwood used to illustrate the dilemma: secure what you can early, or hold your nerve for first-choice options and risk losing out entirely.
A late start and a “chaotic” window
The CEO did not hide from the club’s own role in the disorder. He called the window “chaotic” and pointed straight at the calendar.
“Ideally your manager will be in by the start of May to work out where are we going for next year,” he said.
“So that timeline has been constrained somewhat, and then conflated by injuries. If you want to do your deals early, maybe you can't go after the best players sometimes.
“You've got to either wait and go for target number one with this risk, or cement one in the building because we know we can get him, like Jayden Fevrier for example.”
O'Neill had steadied Blackburn last season, keeping them in the Championship while still juggling his duties as Northern Ireland boss. When he turned down the permanent post in mid-May, Rovers pivoted back to Mowbray, but that delay left precious little time to shape the squad.
The result: a scramble, some bold calls, and several deals that never made it across the line.
Outgoings, balance and rejected bids
Seven players left over the summer. With incomings stalling, that exodus has raised eyebrows. Curwood stands by those departures.
“You've got to allow the manager to make certain decisions,” he said. “The squad list was top-heavy. Certain players needed game-time, like George Pratt going to Bradford.”
Blackburn were not just sellers, either. BBC Radio Lancashire understands the club turned down offers for Ryoya Morishita, Sean McLoughlin, Balasz Toth, Yuki Ohashi and Ryan Alebiosu, choosing to hold on to key pieces rather than cash in under pressure.
The picture that emerges is not of a club stripped bare, but of one trying to reshape an unbalanced squad while navigating a market that punished hesitation.
A whirlwind start – and a warning of change
Curwood himself is only two months into the job, arriving from League Two side Fleetwood Town and walking straight into a storm.
“It's been a whirlwind since I arrived – with a transfer window, an administrator going to another club, and a senior physiotherapist leaving,” the 54-year-old said.
He has asked for patience, but not indefinitely.
“The first 90 days will give me time to reflect and bring some of the processes this club need to improve where we are. We'll be in a very different position moving into the next window, and beyond that.”
The frustration is real, and Curwood knows it. The question now is simple: when January comes around, will Blackburn still be talking about near-misses, or finally about a window where they finished the job?
