In the eyes of many, Blackburn Rovers have enjoyed their best summer window in several years. Considering they lost their talisman in the process, that's some achievement.

It wasn't all plain sailing, though. A new recruitment team had to be bedded in, no new signings arrived until August and many are still playing catch-up with their fitness.

No matter what the early impressions are, time will be the best judge of Rovers' success in the market. But there is a widely-shared view that this squad is far more prepared for the rigours of a 46-game Championship game season than they were 12 months ago.

Nine new additions, plus the re-signing of Kyle McFadzean, have given John Eustace a far more robust, ready-made squad. The fat has been trimmed and those that were on the periphery have been proactively loaned out. 

READ MORE: EUSTACE SETS CANTWELL CHALLENGE AFTER ROVERS MOVE

The floor of the squad has undoubtedly been lifted. How quickly the likes of Todd Cantwell and Amario Cozier-Dubbery can hit the ground running might dictate the ceiling.

What is undoubted is that pre-season fears of another tense end to the season have been relieved. That's down to work in the transfer market; new faces starting strong but also clear, tangible evidence that Eustace's methods are working at Rovers. He is under the skin of this squad and for the better.

The head coach has done remarkably well to do so without any real time on the training pitch with his new faces. Pre-season began in July with John Park and Rudy Gestede only officially two weeks into their new roles.

By the end of June, 2023, Rovers had signed three players. Niall Ennis was through the door before the sixth month had even begun. So when, on June 26, at the Supporters' Trust Annual Meeting, Gestede declared discussions on transfers were all premature, alarm bells might have been ringing for some supporters.

Rovers' backroom clearout was not ideal in terms of timing. The club will argue that it was never going to be an entirely smooth process, considering they didn't know their league status until May 5. 

Restructures often result in departures and that has to be handled with a fair amount of care and sensitivity.

At least Park was a returning face at Brockhall. It's understood that Gregg Broughton made attempts to keep the experienced talent spotter when he arrived at Ewood Park in the summer of 2022 but Park's loyalties to Tony Mowbray meant it was time for a new chapter.

Relations have always been positive and so when the board made the decision to change tact, he was a safe pair of hands. Especially given the leap of faith taken to appoint the well-respected Gestede to such a senior position in the club.

Whilst Rovers were incredibly busy, their bursts of signings highlight what was an opportunistic window, rather than one sketched and planned for months beforehand. It was never going to be, with the new decision-makers arriving so late.

There were echoes of 2022, when Broughton arrived on June 8 and Jon Dahl Tomasson six days later. Callum Brittain, their first signing, didn't feature until their final pre-season match at the end of July.

With Adam Owen later thrown into the mix this time around, there were plenty of voices trying to work out how to best maximise the funds available. 

As laid out by Steve Waggott, there were key characteristics the squad lacked. Resilience and leadership were two, obviously addressed with the need for more Championship experience as well as pace and power. 

Rovers were never going to spend millions despite the money taken in for Adam Wharton. Whilst the CEO argued that transfer fees are never received in full, which is true, they aren't paid out as one lump sum either.

It took far too long to decipher exactly what Rovers' financial permiters were. That delayed what looked like simple deals to conclude to provide an early boost to morale early on.

 A contract had been agreed in principle with McFadzean as early as May but wasn't signed despite Eustace holding regular phone calls with the free agent reassuring him of the desire to keep him.

That would become a theme of the early weeks. Whilst Eustace would be sending messages out to the players he clearly wanted, the recruitment team were exploring other avenues.

Talks were held with the representatives of Liam Cooper, who is still a free agent as of September 3. There were legitimate concerns over the 32-year-old's recent injury record. Suggestions were made over an appearance-incentivised contract, with a base salary at around a third of his last Leeds United deal, but in-decision led to an impasse. 

Rovers moved on and re-signed McFadzean and Danny Batth, two players Eustace wanted all along, though I'm sure he'd have been happy with Cooper too.

They were two of five new faces jettisoned into the first-team squad on the first week of August. Makhtar Gueye and Yuki Ohashi were clever pick-ups, scouted intensely by the recruitment team. 'I think we've got one' was the excited view of recruitment staff as a deal for Gueye progressed.

There were always going to be outgoings too. Rovers couldn't carry both Sam Gallagher and Tyrhys Dolan in the final year of their contracts. Ultimately, one was far more replaceable than the other and at a potential package of £1.6million, I think Rovers can reflect pretty well on that piece of business.

Losing Sam Szmodics was a gut punch but one many had come to expect. It looked like a done deal three weeks into negotiations but somehow drifted into the new season. Ipswich's tactic of incrementally upping their offer, rather than meeting the asking price, frustrated Rovers. Equally, they had a player very keen on the move, though one they didn't want to lose.

When Szmodics returned to the fold against Derby County, it was their best chance of keeping him. Discussions were held over a new, bumper contract. Then just like that, Ipswich came back on the eve of their Premier League season. 

Some will say an initial £9m is cheap. I'd be inclined to agree. But Szmodics owed Rovers very little, wanted the opportunity and I ultimately believe it was handled in the best way possible.

Luckily, the early signs from Gueye, Ohashi and Andi Weimann had taken the pressure off somewhat. After filling out the squad, the challenge was to add real star quality that could undoubtedly improve the first-choice starting XI.

Eustace had his targets. The Rovers boss was keen on a reunion with Siriki Dembele and Lewis Baker was his choice to stiffen the midfield. Others had their reservations about the former. Ryo Germain was a recruitment pick but that didn't materialise either without a unanimous agreement.

Premier League loans were always going to come into the equation as the window progressed. Their strong relationships with Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool allowed them to steal a march on rivals for Owen Beck and Cozier-Dubbery. Michael Edwards, now returning as Head of Football for Fenway Sports Group, is understood to be a big admirer of Rovers' set-up.

The sceptics will ask how much money has been reinvested. But there was a bid for Thelo Aasagaard at Wigan Athletic, though it became apparent the valuations were too stark. Rabbi Matondo was another they liked but Rangers were reluctant sellers.

Instead, Rovers still cashed in on Park's links at Rangers with Cantwell instead. Whilst the fee was six figures, it was not an easy financial deal to strike by Rovers' recent standards. They have pushed the boat out for a player they believe Eustace can get performing back to his best, with an arm around the shoulder and the right environment to thrive.

A multitude of goalkeepers were chased. Jeffery de Lange was perhaps the closest. Finances meant Daniel Iversen remained at Leicester City. Carl Rushworth went to Hull City and the transfer merry-go-round meant Mark Travers stayed in situ as number two at Bournemouth. 

Balazs Toth has good pedigree and, looking at his data, it's obvious why he was picked out by the recruitment team. Only time will tell whether he is a Thomas Kaminski or a Leopold Wahlstedt. English football is always a shock to the system for any imported goalkeeper.

For a nice change, deadline day went quite smoothly. Rovers ended the window having addressed the key priorities they marked out. They have two players for every position, with room still for the likes of Leo Duru to grow.

The age profile has necessarily risen. There is more athleticism in the squad. One lingering contract issue has been resolved whilst others will be tackled in the coming months.

Losing Szmodics was a blow but the early signs suggest Rovers can spread the goals around. He smashed in 27 of their 60 last terms but after scoring nine in four games (small sample size claxon), Rovers are on course for 90 odd this term. The burden will be far smaller on each of their attackers.

What started as quite a slow, indecisive and frustrating window, has ended with spirits raised and optimism levels the highest they've been in 12 months.

But the proof will always be in the pudding.