Tony Mowbray
BLACKBURN Rovers boss Tony Mowbray has confirmed the club’s interest in Saints striker Michael Obafemi, admitting: “I have watched him for the last three months.” Championship Rovers are set to lose Adam Armstrong to the Premier League side, with a fee agreed between the two sides and the 24-year-old set for a medical. Mowbray says any move for Republic of Ireland international Obafemi would be a permanent move, but is separate to the Armstrong negotiations, and a deal that Rovers will explore with the manager having watched him closely.
Tony Mowbray said: “It’s something that’s been mooted, those sort of things become personal to the point the boy wants to make that move, his advisors have to see it as an opportunity. If it’s one he sees as a good chance for him to play more regular football at a level he sees himself doing similar things to Adam and build his reputation. It’s something we’re exploring but I won’t sit here and say that anything is happening, we will see in the next couple of days if anything materialises.”
Obafemi only played four Premier League games last season after failing to develop quite how Saints would have hoped, given his 2019-20 breakthrough campaign. He did start in the final pre-season friendly alongside compatriot Shane Long though, and didn’t perform too badly in a difficult challenge against Spanish Super Cup winners. His best moment in a Saints shirt is likely his superb solo goal against Chelsea, during a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in December 2019.
Tony Mowbray added: “I have watched him for the last three months. I was aware of him making his debut, he made quite a bit of noise a couple of years ago. I have studied him a lot recently and I see similarities with Adam, he’s mobile, fast, can score, he’s a young boy but we use attributes to help the team play in a certain way. He has the attributes that will help our team but it’s not something we should be saying is a done deal as I’ve not personally spoken to the player so let’s see what the next few days bring. Until this deal goes through, the men in suits will do the numbers and then I’ll found out what the scope is.”
