You have to feel a little bit for new Blackburn boss Paul Ince, no sooner had he replaced the highly-regarded Mark Hughes at Ewood Park than he immediately faces a battle to keep hold of his three best places –David Bentley, Roque Santa Cruz and Brad Friedel.
England winger Bentley has made it clear he wants to quit the Lancashire outfit and Ince has confirmed that Aston Villa have tabled a bid. Ince said: "As for the Bentley situation, that will not go away, only time will tell whether he is here in August. We have had an offer from Aston Villa but I do not want him to go."
Friedel is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premiership and Ince insists that any links with Spurs keeper Paul Robinson are not true.
He added: "When I came to Blackburn I said I wanted to keep my best players. As far as I'm concerned I want to keep Brad. I do not want to sell Brad, so why would I want Paul Robinson?"
There have been reports that Manchester United are lining up a bid for Santa Cruz, who scored 23 goals in an impressive first season in English football, but the former Bayern Munich man said he was committed to Rovers earlier this week.
Meanwhile, former Liverpool and England striker Robbie Fowler is confident he can still perform in the top flight after arriving at Rovers from Cardiff on trial.
The 33-year-old, who will link up with the squad at their pre-season training camp in Germany, said: "Most importantly, I believe I can still do it. I could take the contract on offer at Cardiff and there are no guarantees that I will be taken on at Blackburn but at this stage of my career I have to take the chance."
PREDICTION: Rovers certainly punched above their weight under Hughes last season, finishing seventh, but it appears likely that Bentley will be on his way before the start of the new campaign and he will be a big void to fill – not only for his goals but also because of his delivery from set-plays.
If Bentley does go at least Ince will have money to spend on a replacement but it is then even more imperative that he retains the services of top scorer Santa Cruz. It could well be a first season of consolidation for Ince and a lower mid-table position is my idea of where they will finish.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BLACKBURN ROVERS
Blackburn are one of the three founder members of both the Football League and the Premier League, the others being Aston Villa and Everton. They were established in 1875 and in 1890 Rovers moved to their permanent home – Ewood Park.
Until the formation of the Premier League in 1992, the majority of the clubs success came in the pre-1930s, when they won the league and the FA Cup on several occasions. Their relegation in 1966 was then followed by 26 successive seasons outside the top flight.
However, in 1995, under the guidance of manager Kenny Dalglish, who was bankrolled by wealthy chairman Jack Walker, Rovers won the Premiership title with Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton forming a formable partnership up front.
DID YOU KNOW: That former Rovers' striker Simon Garner, not Alan Shearer, was voted the club's greatest ever player in a poll by the supporters.
