Blackburn Rovers CEO Steve Curwood Addresses Transfer Window Frustrations
Steve Curwood knows exactly how it looks.
A turbulent summer, a thin-looking squad, three failed deadline-day deals and a fanbase that has had enough. So Blackburn Rovers’ new CEO did not bother trying to sugar-coat it.
“Everyone is frustrated,” he admitted, fronting up after a window that has left more questions than answers at Ewood Park.
Deals lost at the last minute
Rovers ended the window with just four signings, while three separate moves collapsed on the final day. For a club trying to reset under a returning Tony Mowbray, that is a brutal hit.
“Deals were on the table,” Curwood told BBC Radio Lancashire. “Deals were agreed with players and clubs.”
Then the sting.
“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.
“We can talk about morals in football, maybe there aren't too many now and that's what's happened.”
BBC Radio Lancashire understands two of those failed deals involved Reo Hatate, who instead joined Burnley, and Brian De Keersmaecker, who went to Bristol City. Rovers thought they were close. They were not close enough.
Curwood insisted the board had backed the recruitment push.
“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.
“Yes – it’s frustrating, we're frustrated, and Tony wanted that extra little bit of something which we haven't managed to do.”
Late appointment, chaotic window
The CEO did not hide from another key factor: timing.
Blackburn’s summer started behind schedule. Michael O'Neill, who had juggled keeping Rovers in the Championship with managing Northern Ireland, walked away from the permanent job in mid-May. Only on 5 June did the club turn back to Mowbray.
By then, Curwood argues, the clock was already against them.
“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.”
Rovers faced a familiar dilemma. Move early and risk settling. Or wait for first-choice targets and accept the jeopardy.
“If you want to do your deals early, maybe you can't go after the best players sometimes,” Curwood explained. “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.”
That approach came with a clear instruction from the manager.
“We might highlight three or four targets, but Tony wants to make sure the people here want to be here and play for him.
“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.”
Outgoings, offers rejected and a top-heavy squad
Seven players left over the summer. With several incoming deals failing to land, that exodus now looks starker. Curwood, though, stands by the decisions.
“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 also resisted bids for key men. BBC Radio Lancashire understands Rovers turned down offers for Ryoya Morishita, Sean McLoughlin, Balasz Toth, Yuki Ohashi and Ryan Alebiosu. The message: if they could not add enough, they would at least not strip away what they already had.
A whirlwind start – and a promise
Curwood arrived from League Two side Fleetwood Town only two months ago. Since then, he has walked straight into a storm: a transfer window, an administrator departing for another club, a senior physiotherapist leaving, and a fanbase on edge.
“It's been a whirlwind since I arrived – with a transfer window, an adminstrator going to another club, and a senior physiotherapist leaving,” the 54-year-old said.
He has asked for patience, but not as a shield. More as a timeframe.
“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. So is the promise. The next window will show which one wins.
