Gestede’s verdict on Szmodics transfer fee and reinvesting
Rudy Gestede insisted Blackburn Rovers have reinvested some money from Sam Szmodics’ sale but were never likely to splash £10million in the transfer window.
The club spent fees on several players during the transfer window. Makhtar Gueye, Yuki Ohashi, Balazs Toth and Todd Cantwell all required payments of differing levels, with salary investments also worth considering.
However, it’s clear there is still a large amount of money that hasn’t been spent. Sam Gallagher, Semir Telalovic and Leopold Wahlstedt were also sold in lower-cost deals.
READ MORE: GESTEDE VERDICT ON NEW BLACKBURN ROVERS SIGNINGS
Gestede explained that some of the money recouped from players was reinvested but, due to Financial Fair Play and other considerations, they were never going to spend all of it.
“I would like to thank the board and owners because they have been very supportive during this transfer window which has helped us bring in this amount of players with a good budget,” he told RoversTV.
“I think we’re in a good position to perform in the league because of that. We used a bit of money from the transfers we made but we have to understand that just because a player is sold for £10million, we have £10m to spend.
“We don’t have the full payment up front, we have to all understand that. There are also Financial Fair Play rules we have to follow. It’s how we can manage it best during the transfer window, whether that’s because of salary restrictions or FFP.
“We have been able to spend a bit of money to sign talented players. We have the full support of the owners, the board has trusted us in this process.
“It was also new for me to be part of the window. I am alongside very experienced people, John Eustace, John Park, Adam Owen.”
With the transfer window closed, the focus from supporters will now be on the pitch as Rovers aim to build on a positive start to the season.
Gestede’s work will now focus on planning for upcoming windows, starting with January, and other improvements around the club.
“We need to keep working, January is coming very quickly. We will have to be ready for what is available to us or even the next summer,” he said.
“We have to work on the next transfer window, the next two or three transfer windows. We will look at who might be available as free agents or in the last year of their contract to identify good opportunities.
“It starts now for us. We have to identify the right players for the club and the team. We will start to plan that now with the recruitment team.
“Discussions about our team, we will sit down and align on decisions. We have to all pull in the same direction.
“My priorities now are to prepare and plan for the next transfer windows and to ensure we are all aligned. Look at the other departments to support the first-team to make sure they can perform.
“There are always improvements to be made. Our recruitment, travelling and a few areas I want to improve. We have a great team to sit down and discuss.”
