Blackburn Rovers have missed out on free agent winger Ryotaro Ito, whose proposed move to Ewood Park collapsed earlier this month. The 28-year-old is now poised to join Spanish Segunda Division side Real Valladolid instead.
The club had pursued a deal for the experienced attacker to bolster their forward line. However, the transfer was called off due to issues that arose during the player's medical examination. This leaves manager Tony Mowbray still seeking attacking reinforcements for a squad that sits 16th in the Championship with nine points from eight games.
Ito, who was available without a transfer fee, brings a record of 19 goals and 14 assists from 110 appearances for his former club Sint-Truidense VV. His potential arrival was seen as a way to add creativity and goal threat from wide areas.
Squad context
With the January transfer window still some time away, the focus returns to the current group. The team's form has been inconsistent, with a recent run of one win, two draws and two losses in their last five matches. Their last outing was a 2-2 draw at Portsmouth before the international break, where goals came from Oladapo Afolayan and Ryoya Morishita. Afolayan is the team's top scorer this season with three goals, a tally the club will hope to increase across the squad.
The immediate task is a home fixture against newly-promoted Cardiff City this Saturday. Cardiff currently occupy 21st place, making it a significant opportunity for Blackburn to climb the table. Fans can check the full schedule on the club's fixtures page and view the current standings.
While the pursuit of Ito has ended, it shows the club's intent to strengthen. The search for additional attacking options is expected to continue as Mowbray looks to improve on a record of 12 goals scored and 12 conceded so far this campaign.
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