In 2012, Blackburn Rovers spent £8 million on 22-year-old Jordan Rhodes from Huddersfield Town.
Rhodes became the most expensive signing in England outside of the Premier League, breaking Rovers’ transfer record.
The move seemed risky, but his performances for the club demonstrated that he was worth the money they paid.
Regardless, those at Blackburn will have one regret about the trade.
Blackburn spent heavily to bring Rhodes in
Rovers understood exactly what they were getting when they spent the money to bring Rhodes in.
At the time, he had only played a few Championship games, but had recently finished a 35-goal season with Huddersfield Town in League One, which he had helped reach the second tier through the play-offs.
Blackburn were eager to return to the Championship after a long stint in the Premier League, which led to the high-profile signing of Rhodes.
Steven Kean, the manager at the time, said of Rhodes: “Jordan is a top-class striker and we are absolutely delighted to bring him in.”
Winger Sorba Thomas had a difficult time with Blackburn Rovers following his loan move from Huddersfield Town in January 2023.
Rhodes immediately settled into his new club and league, scoring three goals and providing an assist in his first three games.
The youthful striker had a fantastic debut season with Rovers, scoring 26 goals and assisting four times.
Is this a wonderful season? For Rhodes, yes. For Blackburn? Less so.
Despite Rhodes’ outstanding performance, the Lancashire team finished in 17th position, narrowly avoiding relegation for the second consecutive season. It was not the season they had anticipated for after spending so much money on the former Huddersfield man.
Blackburn will hold key regret over Rhodes
That first season told the story of Rhodes’ overall tenure at Blackburn.
During his three seasons at Ewood Park, he scored more than 20 Championship goals.
Despite finishing 8th and 9th in the league, Blackburn’s squad struggled to capitalise on Rhodes’ goals, preventing the club from regaining its top tier status.
Over ten years after Rhodes’ arrival, Blackburn still hadn’t returned to the Premier League.
| Rhodes’ career prior to 2025, as per Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| Huddersfield Town | 212 | 96 | 17 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 169 | 84 | 13 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 112 | 20 | 5 |
| Blackpool | 32 | 15 | 3 |
| Norwich City | 40 | 9 | 1 |
| Middlesbrough | 24 | 6 | 3 |
| Brentford | 14 | 7 | 2 |
| Ipswich Town | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Rochdale | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Oxford United | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Finding a striker who can consistently score more than 20 goals each season is difficult to come by, so people inside the club may be wondering if they missed their chance to return to the Premier League in Rhodes.
Rhodes’ three seasons at Blackburn were his most successful in the Championship, followed by less successful periods at Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield.
Rhodes completed the task he was hired to do for Blackburn, but the rest of the team failed to meet the ultimate goal of promotion. When looking back on their past, Rovers may question if they could have made more of one of the league’s best strikers in his prime.
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