One Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool transfer deal played out in a way that made little sense: View | OneFootball

One centre-back had a strange spell on loan at Ewood Park last season

For Blackburn Rovers fans, the final day of the 2024 January transfer window is one they would surely prefer to forget, for one very particular reason.

After weeks of speculation, and a dramatic 24 hours in which a deal looked on, then off, then on again, the club finally announced the signing of Duncan McGuire from MLS side Orlando City.

The striker had made the move to Ewood Park on loan until the end of the season, with the option to buy in the summer window.

But in the days that followed, it emerged that, similar to the collapse of Lewis O'Brien's loan move from Nottingham Forest 12 months earlier, the club had not submitted every piece of paperwork in time.

As a result, the move would fall through after the deadline, with McGuire instead returning to Orlando without even coming close to making his debut for Blackburn.

Amid all the drama that developed with the saga surrounding the striker, it is perhaps easy to forget that Rovers did in fact complete two other signings on the final day of that window.

One of those, saw the Lancashire outfit continue the relationship they have developed in recent years when it comes to loan players with one specific Premier League club, in the form of Liverpool.

Billy Koumetio headed to Ewood Park on loan

With a few hours remaining on the final day of this year's winter window, Blackburn confirmed the signing of Billy Koumetio on loan from Liverpool until the end of the season.

By making that move, the centre-back followed the likes of Harvey Elliott, Leighton Clarkson and Tyler Morton in temporarily swapping Merseyside for Lancashire in the past few years.

Prior to that move, Koumetio had made two senior appearances for Liverpool, while also spending time out on loan with Austria Wien and Dunkerque.

However, having completed his move to Ewood Park, it could be argued that at no point during his time with Rovers, did things go as those watching on might have expected.

Just days after his arrival, Koumetio saw a change in head coach at his new club, with Jon Dahl Tomasson departing, to be replaced by John Eustace.

Under the new manager, the Liverpool loanee was made to wait for his chance to make his Blackburn debut.

The centre-back did not feature in any of the first six matches that Rovers played after he joined, only even making the bench twice in that time.

However, Koumetio was then given his chance in late February, during an FA Cup clash with Newcastle United at Ewood Park.

Having been introduced as a 72nd minute substitute, the Liverpool loanee had plenty of time to impress, as the game went to extra time, and penalties.

That seemed to be an opportunity he took while playing on the left of defence, largely coping well from a defensive perspective, while also looking lively when going forward.

Indeed, speaking post-match, many Blackburn fans were keen to praise Koumetio for his efforts on debut, and were seemingly keen to see more of the 21-year-old.

In the end though, that was not a wish that would be granted, with the Liverpool loanee not playing again for Rovers that season, making the bench ten times in their final 12 games.

Considering the circumstances around Koumetio, that lack of game time is something that seems somewhat surprising.

Admittedly, there was plenty of competition for a place in the side for the Liverpool loanee at centre-back at the time.

Dom Hyam, Hayden Carter, Scott Wharton, Kyle McFadzean and Connor O'Riordan were also options for Eustace in that position in the second-half of last season.

But as has already been mentioned, the Liverpool loanee performed well against Premier League opposition the one time he did get on the pitch for Blackburn.

That suggests that had he been given the chance, Koumetio would have been able to make a useful and significant impact for the club in the Championship.

Of course, at that time, Rovers were struggling for wins as they battled to avoid relegation to League One, so bringing in the 21-year-old may have provided something different to help improve things.

Beyond that, as previously referenced, Blackburn have developed something of a connection with Liverpool when it comes to recruiting loan players in the last few seasons.

It may, therefore, have been seen as a risk to that relationship for Rovers not to play Koumetio, limiting his progress, and giving Liverpool reason to be wary of sending other youngsters to Ewood.

In the wake of all that, one thing that was not a surprise about this move, is that there was no talk of another move to Lancashire for the centre-back come the end of the campaign.

Instead, the 21-year-old joined Scottish Premiership side Dundee on a permanent deal during the summer transfer window.

Meanwhile, Rovers were able to secure another loanee from Liverpool in spite of that situation, and Owen Beck is already well set to play a much bigger role at Ewood this season.

Even so, given the surrounding circumstances during Koumetio's time at Blackburn, it is hard to imagine anyone would have expected that stint to play out the way it did, when he first arrived at the club.