With the transfer window still a few weeks away, Blackburn Rovers will be looking to achieve as much as possible. as soon as possible before the August 30 deadline.
John Eustace’s side have made a number of new signings, with Makhtar Gueye, Yuki Ohashi, Andreas Weimann and Danny Batth all moving to Ewood Park, but there could well be further arrivals and departures at the club.
Blackburn certainly have transfer targets in mind, but if they are unable to sign certain players they want, perhaps the free agent market could provide them with some good insurance and save them some money in the process.
We all know that Blackburn do not have the financial firepower of some other clubs in the league, so signing free agents could be a cost-effective way to strengthen the squad.
With that in mind, here are two free transfer players that Blackburn Rovers could consider…
Wayne Hennessey
Wayne Hennessey is a free agent after leaving Nottingham Forest earlier this summer and despite his age he could be a good addition to Blackburn Rovers.
The 37-year-old has extensive experience in the Premier League, EFL and at international level and could still be good enough to be Eustace’s number one this season, although there are still question marks over Aynsley Pears and Joe Hilton.
Eustace has previously been interested in bringing both John Ruddy and Tim Krul to Ewood Park, which shows that he is keen to sign a new goalkeeper this summer. With Ruddy and Krul aged 37 and 36 respectively, it shows that he would be keen to sign an older head with experience.
Hennessey certainly fits this criteria and, although he may not be the number one option in the long term, he would be a good interim solution for Rovers.
|
Wayne Hennessey’s professional career – Transfermarkt |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Association |
Seasons |
Appearances |
Admitted |
Clean sheets |
|
Wolverhampton Wanderers |
2006-14 |
166 |
245 |
42 |
|
Bristol City (loan) |
2006 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Stockport County (loan) |
2007 |
15 |
16 |
10 |
|
Yeovil Town (loan) |
2013 |
13 |
22 |
1 |
|
Crystal Palace |
2014-21 |
132 |
189 |
37 |
|
Burnley |
2021-22 |
3 |
6 |
1 |
|
Nottingham Forest |
2022-24 |
9 |
14 |
3 |
The Welshman, who has made 109 appearances for his country, has not played regular football at club level recently and a season or two as number one in the Championship could be a good way to end his playing career.
Hennessey is yet to retire from international football but has not played for Wales since last October. Playing regularly in the Championship would likely see him return to being Wales’ number one, with the likes of Danny Ward and Adam Davies struggling to play regular football at club level.
George Cox
A quick look at Blackburn Rovers’ squad shows that they lack depth at left-back. With Harry Pickering, they only have one pure left-back, so a transfer of the out-of-contract George Cox could be a suitable option.
The 26-year-old may not be a familiar name to English football fans, despite being born in Worthing and having made just five first-team appearances for Northampton Town in this country.
However, the Brighton Academy graduate has plenty of experience in the Eredivisie, having made 131 appearances thanks to his spells with Fortuna Sittard and FC Volendam. Cox left FC Volendam after just one season as the club were relegated at the end of the 2023/24 season, and is now available on a free transfer.
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The 26-year-old is still at a good age and with his ample experience in the Eredivisie, he could be a good option for a Championship club on a budget this summer.
Having spent the last few seasons in the Netherlands, the English defender could be eyeing a return this summer and would be a strong contender for Pickering’s place in Rovers’ starting XI.
