Blackburn Rovers know exactly what they need as the January transfer window approaches. The question is, can they deliver?

It has been a quiet international break, as they often are, but news of John Park's sudden departure, coupled with yet another delay in Venky's court case made it more noteworthy than it might have been.

Once again, it's worth reiterating that the Blackburn Rovers owners can fund the club as they wish, despite the latest postponement. But they will have to continue putting the equivalent monies into a bond, essentially costing them double. The new date is January 13, which hasn't been lost on anyone.

It has been a question as to whether Venky's want to, rather than are able to, fund Rovers. The request to double their expenditure is why Rovers have essentially been using transfer fees to fund their incoming business and to subsidise the club's running costs.

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There was some concern about the notes of the latest set of accounts, highlighting a dependence on Venky's funding Rovers. That same warning was there the year before and has to be noted when a company (Rovers) is so heavily depending on external funding.

There isn't a Championship club that wouldn't be insolvent without the backing of their owners. That is why, in many ways, football is broken. But it is the status quo. Venky's have an agreement in place to ensure they can fund Rovers, even at double the cost, and so if they need to provide additional finances, they can.

Whilst this scenario, of course, needs to come to an end, I have seen no evidence to suggest the club have any cause for concern at this moment.

As we approach December, attention will understandably shift to January and what might be possible. As reported by the LT, the impression is that Rovers have some wiggle room for business, though never likely to be a war chest.

John Eustace has said himself that the squad needs to be continually improved upon. A striker and a left-winger, preferably with speed, are the main targets and the obvious holes in the squad.

The summer transfer window was a disjointed operation, with a new-look transfer team not arriving until June. Therefore, it's quite disheartening to see the most experienced member of that cohort depart six weeks before the next window opens.

Park brought a lot of experience to the table and, without him, you're left with Gestede, who is cutting his teeth on the job. January is renowned for being a difficult transfer window in any case, never mind considering Rovers' track record in the last two. Nobody needs reminding of that.

Whilst the exact reasons for Park's abrupt exit haven't been noted, the behind-the-scenes tug-of-war for power is hardly likely to have helped matters. Rovers are looking for a replacement but that takes time and ahead of January, it's something they don't have.

We know how the New Year works. It's a window of cat-and-mouse, smoke and mirrors. Chain reactions and falling dominoes. It can be incredibly tedious and then, right at the end, all hell breaks loose.

The good thing for Rovers is they are not looking over their shoulders. Touch wood, the injury situation is relatively standard, with Hayden Carter expected back in the first month of 2025. 

But after such a decent start, 15 games in, another couple of quality top-end attacking additions would make a big difference. If Eustace can keep Rovers in touching distance by Christmas, they will have a great opportunity and then it becomes a question of ambition to the board.

The last two opportunities that Rovers had for the top-six, they blew by not bolstering in January. The results dwindled in Tony Mowbray's final season, having been sat second on Valentine's Day. They won four of their last 20 to end the season outside the top-six.

If they'd signed a centre-forward in January 2023, Jon Dahl Tomasson's squad would've made the play-offs too. Goal difference cost them in the end and that felt all too predictable after the amount of chances they'd wasted in the first half of the season.

If Blackburn Rovers do get what they need, there might be outgoings. Another striker would possibly facilitate a loan for Harry Leonard, who would benefit from tearing League One up for six months and getting a regular run of games if it's not at Ewood Park. Zak Gilsenan, if he can stay fit, is in a similar boat. 

You have players like John Buckley and Arnor Sigurdsson who are unlikely to be pushed out of the door but their ambitions to play regularly could dictate a move. Particularly for the former, if a new face was to arrive in his position.

The January transfer window is coming and Blackburn Rovers have got to be ready.