Blackburn Rovers Facing International Competition For 10-Goal Forward

Blackburn Rovers have displayed an interest in Osnabrück striker Erik Engelhardt, according to a report by German news outlet Bild.

An unknown name in England, Bild has spent the entirety of his career in his native Germany and has made somewhat of a name for himself over the last couple of seasons playing for now-3. Liga side Osnabrück.

Despite the club suffering a relegation to Germany’s third tier last season, Engelhardt stood out, racking up 10 goals in the country’s second division. Given that his side would score just 31 goals all season, its clear to see that the 26-year-old is somewhat of a rose amongst thorns. With a singular assist to his name last term as well, the striker therefore directly contributed to over a third of his club’s goals.

Blackburn were also heavily reliant on a singular source of goals last term, in their case that being Sammie Szmodics. The Irishman would have a sublime season for Rovers, putting up a quite frankly insane 27 goals and a further four assists. In the process he’d also scoop the Championship’s Golden Boot and would also be included in the Team of the Season.

However, despite his brilliance, Blackburn were perhaps over-reliant on the attack-minded midfielder last season, and will potentially want to spread the goals around a tiny bit more next term. That is even if Szmodics stays, with the 28-year-old being linked to a whole host of Premier League teams after last season’s performances.

If he was to move on this summer, then Blackburn simply have to find other sources of goals. Although he wouldn’t be considered a direct replacement, Engelhardt could be a potential option to do that.

There would be obvious risks attatched, notably that he has no EFL experience nor having played in a country that isn’t his native one but perhaps the rewards could outweigh those said risks.

Bild have reported that several 2. Bundesliga sides are also monitoring the striker’s situation so if they are to pursue, it won’t be all plain sailing for John Eustace and his team. With a contract until 2026, a fee would be required but after some notable outgoings over the past couple of seasons, Blackburn shouldn’t exactly be short in that department.

Writer’s View

It’s rather hard to make any serious comments on this potential move and it seems as if it would be a rather large punt by Rovers if it was to happen. However the fact that Engelhardt scored 10 times for the league’s worst side last season does show that with better service he could well do well in England.

If it was to materialise, expect Rovers to still be in for a couple more options in the forward areas this summer, yet maybe slightly more experienced one. At 26, its unlikely that Engelhardt has reached his ceiling just yet and in the right system, could potentially reach new heights if coping with a rather large in scenery.

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