Blackburn Rovers head coach John Eustace believes Arnor Sigurdsson should remain at the club this month after enduring an injury-hit campaign.
The 25-year-old joined the Championship outfit in June 2023, initially on loan before making the deal permanent six months later. After hitting seven goals in his debut season to help Rovers avoid the drop into League One, the Iceland international was linked with a move away last summer. League rivals Queens Park Rangers were heavily linked, as were Greek champions PAOK Thessaloniki.
Sigurdsson continues to be linked with a move away from Ewood Park despite having been ruled out since early November with a thigh injury. He is now free to negotiate terms with overseas clubs, with his current contract set to expire at the end of the season.
Eustace Aiming To Keep Sigurdsson
Blackburn have enjoyed an excellent first half of the season. They were widely tipped for another relegation battle but currently find themselves in the hunt for a play-off place.
Although Sigurdsson has made just five substitute league appearances this season, Eustace hopes the former CSKA Moscow attacker will remain at the club. Speaking to The Lancashire Telegraph, the 45-year-old said:
“Before anything, if he was to go anywhere, he needs to train and be on the pitch.
“He started the season injured, he came back and scored an amazing goal against Oxford to help us win the game. He’s really struggled with little injuries he keeps picking up.
“Siggy is a top player and we want him to be part of this squad. We want him to win games for us like he did at the start of the season.
“He is still not available for us. I think it’ll be closer to the end of January when he is available again. It is a shame for Siggy and it’s a shame for us.
“When he’s fit, he’s a top player so we want to do that and keep him fit to keep pushing. He wants to do well for the football club, he’s desperate to.”
Writer’s View
This is the second successive transfer window in which Sigurdsson’s future has been the subject of transfer speculation. That’s understandable with his current contract scenario. You have to feel that Blackburn won’t be thinking about extending those terms until they see if he can maintain his fitness upon his return at the end of the month, although that does leave them open to losing the attacker. However, with his lack of fitness having been an issue for the majority of the campaign, you have to wonder what clubs would be willing to take a punt on him this month.
Head of Writing
