2010 Summer Transfer Window – Outgoing

It’s almost that time of year again, when hope springs anew and supporters get themselves into a tizzy imagining all the superstars the manager will bring to the club. The transfer window is one of those times where clubs can strengthen their starting eleven, add important depth, and jettison any deadwood in the squad. From the 1st of July to the 31st of August, the possibilities are seemingly endless. It’s a fun and entertaining time to be a football fan, even if the reality rarely ever matches the expectations.

Blackburn Rovers will certainly be heavily involved this summer, and this week’s post will focus on the players currently at the club that look most likely to leave at some point before the start of next season. Without further ado, here is my list of players who stand a good chance of, deservedly, being sold or cut during the summer transfer window.

El Hadji Diouf

Diouf has been a problem child at every club he's played for, and Blackburn has been no different. On field spats with players, screaming at referees, and even spitting at a fan are some of his crimes. More importantly however, he hasn't played well. He's almost 30 and doesn't have the pace he did at Liverpool. He doesn't score nearly enough goals and some matches he doesn't even look like he's trying. A talented player, but he's wasted much of it. Combined with his poor attitude, I see no reason for Sam Allardyce to keep him around. However, the manager seems to have a thing for him, and the chance of him leaving is small.
Chance of Departure: 25%
Sale Price: 1 million - 1.5 million pounds
Likely Destination(s): Most likely a return to France, or a rich Middle Eastern club

Pascal Chimbonda

Chimbonda was signed at the beginning of this season from Tottenham, and started out very well. His performances began petering out around December and since then he's rarely featured, sometimes not even making the bench. In my opinion both Michel Salgado and Lars Jacobsen are both better options at Right Back, both in terms of footballing ability and attitude. However, because he was brought in by Big Sam and has only been with the team for one season, it's likely he'll still be with the squad at the start of next season.
Chance of Departure: 20%
Sale Price: 1 million - 2 million pounds
Likely Destination(s): Possibly a return to the French league, Wolves, Wigan Athletic, Newcastle, West Brom

Vince Grella

Grella joined Blackburn from Italian club Torino in August 2008, the marquis signing of then-manager Paul Ince. The Club paid 4.2 million pounds for him, and have regretted it ever since. In his two full seasons with the club he has played in just over 30 matches, and has yet to score a goal. He has played reasonably well when fit, but the trouble is, he never is. He seems to be injured more than David Dunn without contributing the heaps of goals and clever link up player that his English counterpart does. Grella was a costly mistake and one of the contributing factors for Paul Ince's dismissal. He's a good player, but he simply can't stay healthy and he's simply sitting in the physio's office all year collecting a paycheck. The man has to go!
Chance of Departure: 50%
Sale Price: 1.5 million - 3 million pounds
Likely Destination(s): A return to Italy would probably be best, a club like Parma, Lazio, Udinese, or Cagliari being a good fit.

Steven Reid

He will always be remembered fondly for the screamer that he scored against Wigan in the 2005-06 season, but he's not the same player anymore. Injuries have kept him out of the game for lengthy stretches, and he seems a shadow of his former self. He's out of contract in the summer and it is unlikely he will be signed to an extension. He's been on loan to Queens Park Rangers and West Bromwich Albion during the season, and has played reasonably well in the Championship.
Chance of Departure: 95%
Sale Price: Out of Contract
Likely Destination(s): Millwall, West Brom, QPR, any Championship club

Maceo Rigters

One of Mark Hughes' rare poor signings, Maceo Rigters has yet to rediscover the form that saw him win the Golden Boot at the UEFA European U-21 Championsips for the Netherlands. He's gone on a few loan spells to clubs in the lower levels of English football, but has yet to really impress. At this point he's just dead weight, and it would be best for the player and the club to part ways.
Chance of Departure: 85%
Sale Price: Nominal Fee
Likely Destination(s): A League One or Championship team is possible, but would probably be best suited to return to the Dutch league, possibly old club NAC Breda.

Keith Andrews

Keith is actually a player that I really like. He's not the best athlete in the team, and certainly not the most skilled footballer, but he works hard all the time and always seems to be healthy. However, he's not good enough to be starting for Blackburn and as squad cover, at best, it would probably be best for the player to move on. Combined with an unsavory incident where he squirted a heckling fan with a water bottle, and it seems like Andrews will be on the way out.
Chance of Departure: 60%
Sale Price: 1 million - 1.5 million pounds
Likely Destination(s): West Brom, Newcastle, West Ham, or any Championship club.

Zurab Khizanishvili

Zurab has been out on loan all season, first to Newcastle and more recently to Reading. This is best for the club and the player, as he is not skilled or athletic enough to be playing for Blackburn. Writing this I'm recalling a match a few seasons ago where he was tormented at Right Back by Martin Petrov, and it makes me shudder. He's a capable central defender at Championship level, and Reading have mentioned that they would like to keep him. As long as they make a decent offer, I can't see Big Sam holding on to him.
Chance of Departure: 90%
Sale Price: 750k-1 million pounds
Like Destination(s): Reading, Newcastle, any Championship club

Morten Gamst Pedersen

MGP is another player that's hard for me to pass judgment on. He was absolutely phenomenal about three seasons back, even attracting interest from top teams such as Manchester United. This season, over 50% of Blackburn's goals have come from set pieces, something Pedersen is mostly responsible for. This can be seen in his club leading 8 assists. However, his form has been up and down the past two seasons, and that's me being polite. So as much as I'll miss beauties like this one against Sheffield United, I think it's in the best interests of the player and the club to amicably part ways.
Chance of Departure: 70%
Sale Price: Out of Contract
Likely Destination(s): Olympiakos, Wigan, Sunderland, Fulham, or possibly a shock return to Norway

Others: Aaron Doran (Loan), Mark Bunn (Loan), Alan Judge (Loan), Franco di Santo (Back to Chelsea, loan not extended), Gavin Gunning (Loan), Frank Fielding (Loan), Marcus Marshall (Loan), Andy Haworth (Loan), Nick Blackman (Loan), Alex Marrow (Loan).