Ismael sacked as Blackburn Rovers transfer window ends with a whimper

Another January transfer window is over, but it is the departure of Valerien Ismael that has taken the headlines. The French boss has left his role as Blackburn Rovers head coach by “mutual consent.”

What went wrong for Ismael?

Valerien Ismael’s days at Blackburn Rovers were numbered from the very beginning. It took the now 50-year-old eight games to get his first win, and he has struggled to regain the confidence of the fans ever since. It always felt like he was fighting a losing battle.

That being said, he did turn it around- to begin with. Rovers mounted a late play-off push, winning four of their last five games, finishing 7^th and narrowly missing out on a shot at promotion.

Valerien Ismael's Blackburn Rovers record:

He has taken the side from 6th to 22nd albeit only Adam Forshaw and Todd Cantwell started his first and last games in charge. The summer was key for Ismael. He was supported by the Rovers board, who completely overhauled the squad.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Ryoya Morishita, Andri Gudjohnsen, Sean McLoughlin, Lewis Miller, Ryan Alebiosu, Moussa Baradji, Axel Henriksson, Sidnei Tavares and Dion De Neve were all brought in to the club. A significant amount of money was spent doing so.

Owen Beck, Dion Sanderson, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Emmanuel Dennis and Cauley Woodrow all returned to parent clubs at the end of their loan spells, whilst Danny Baath, Andi Weimann, Tyrhys Dolan, Callum Brittain and Lewis Travis all left the club or were sold.

Ismael was getting something out of the squad too until injuries struck. Despite a difficult start which saw Rovers win just two of their opening 10 Championship games, the Lancashire outfit rallied and won four games out of six in the Autumn, beating Leicester, Southampton, Bristol City and Preston. Unfortunately, Rovers were never able to kick on from there.

Ismael has been without some key players for large chunks of the season. That being said, with players returning and a couple of new players arriving, the performances have not improved. Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Hull was always likely to have been the final nail in the coffin.

The Blackburn boss's recent form had sacking written all over it. One win in 14 matches, winless in eight games and on track for relegation. Whilst it's never nice to see someone lose their job, the time was right to part company with Ismael. Leaving it until deadline day is slightly bizarre, though.

Another disappointing window.

Blackburn Rovers and the January transfer window have never gone well together. The last two have seen departures of managers who were doing good things with this football club. The 2026 window has been no different.

Rovers have only been able to secure three senior signings. Eiran Cashin has arrived on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, and he will bring much-needed depth to the defence until the end of the season. Having started his Blackburn career at centre-back, the 24-year-old has migrated to left-back in Ismael’s final games in charge. Where he fits under the new man will be interesting to find out.

Ismael reiterated the need for attacking reinforcements and eventually got them with Mathias Jorgensen and Oladapo Afolayan arriving from Bodo/Glint and St. Paulli respectively. It took Jorgensen just 80 minutes to get his first goal for the club, and he has taken up the advanced position on the left flank, which is looking much more stable.

Afolayan has not played a competitive game of football since the start of November and will need time to get back up to scratch. Unfortunately, Blackburn Rovers don’t have time. The club were looking for another attacking addition before the deadline, but with the whole Ismael business, that has not materialised.

Many fans will be underwhelmed, but it has to be taken into consideration that the squad is in a much better position than at the beginning of the month. Players are returning from injury, and for the last handful of games, Ismael has had options off the bench.

Whilst the new head coach will not have a chance to sign any new players, they will certainly have a squad full of potential to work with.

What next?

For Blackburn Rovers, the job of appointing a third Head Coach in as many years has begun. The February transition is in full flow at Rovers. It is becoming an unwanted tradition for the Venky’s, with Jon Dahl Tomasson (2024) and John Eustace (2025) having also left the club in February.

Damien Johnson has bought them a little time having secured three points at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday.

Making the right appointment is vital (how many times have we said this now?!) for Blackburn to stay in the Championship. Ismael’s arrival twelve months ago didn’t appear to be the right decision then, and it certainly doesn’t now.

The club have been initially linked with former boss Tony Mowbray, who may have been set for a return to Blackburn. The man who brought Blackburn Rovers back up to the Championship following relegation from the second tier in 2016 would’ve won some fans back over.

That being said, The Lancashire Telegraph has since reported that no contact has been made with Mowbray. Former West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has also been linked with the job, but it is still early days. Leam Richardson and Robbie Savage could also be in line for a return, having spent some of their playing days at Ewood Park.

Rudy Gestede has to get this appointment right. Sky Bet League One awaits otherwise.