Nottingham Forest £7million transfer still raises eyebrows despite success

The likes of Adam Armstrong and Danny Graham proved to be shrewd acquisitions after impressing for Rovers during their time in Lancashire.

However, the signing of Nottingham Forest striker, Ben Brereton Diaz, was one that raised eyebrows among supporters, but would go on to prove the club were right to go through with completing the signing of the striker during the 2018/19 season.

Ben Brereton Diaz’s move to Blackburn Rovers

Following his release from Stoke City, Brereton Diaz would sign with then-Championship side, Nottingham Forest.

Following his impressive form in the club’s academy teams, with 15 goals in 20 appearances, he signed a new contract with the club the following year, making his debut soon after in a defeat to Leeds United.

In his first full season at the City Ground, the striker would score six times and contribute three assists in 39 appearances, with his standout moment coming in the FA Cup third round as Forest beat Arsenal 4-2 with Brereton Diaz scoring a penalty.

But despite his promise, he was loaned to Ewood Park at the start of the campaign, with a view to making the move permanent in the January transfer window.

The striker found it difficult at the start of his Blackburn career, failing to score in his first 16 appearances, although most had come from the substitutes bench.

However, manager Tony Mowbray saw the talent at his feet, with Rovers completing a deal worth around £7 million to join the club permanently, with many supporters unsure about the business Rovers had just confirmed.

The Lancashire club already boasted the attacking talents of Bradley Dack and Danny Graham, who, at the same time as Brereton Diaz’s arrival, had signed a new deal, but the striker would repay the faith shown in him during the seasons that would follow.

Ben Brereton Diaz’s Blackburn Rovers statistics

Brereton Diaz would score seven times in all competitions the following campaign, with many supporters still unsure about whether the striker was a good piece of business for the club.

However, at the start of the 2021/22 campaign, the former Forest striker would return to the form he had shown during his academy days in the East Midlands.

After just 10 league games of the season, he had already eclipsed his total for the entirety of the previous campaign, scoring nine goals, which included a hat-trick against Cardiff City and as a result, saw him scoop the Player of the Month award for September.

His hot streak would continue for the rest of the season, scoring 22 times in all competitions as Rovers finished just outside the play-off places.

Now seen as one of Blackburn’s most important players, Brereton Diaz would continue his goal-scoring form, notching 20 goal involvements in 50 games for the Lancashire club, with Rovers again, narrowly missing out on a place in the top six.

At the end of the campaign, it was announced that Brereton Diaz would leave the club in the summer, completing a move to La Liga side, Villarreal, filling the gap left by Nicholas Jackson, who had just completed a move to Chelsea.

But much like his first season with Rovers, the Chile international struggled to adapt to life in Spain, failing to score in 14 appearances before returning to England with Sheffield United in the January window on loan, scoring four goals in nine games for the Blades.

While his career with Villarreal has failed to take flight, the Spanish side have to look no further than the start Brereton Diaz had at Ewood Park before flourishing into the goalscorer that is so fondly remembered in Lancashire.

The 25-year-old has proved doubters wrong before, and will be keen to do so once again.

Ben Brereton Diaz deal was a gamble for Blackburn Rovers

At the time of his arrival at Ewood Park, the size of the transfer fee was something that was the focus of much discussion around the transfer.

Prior to his move to Lancashire, the forward had managed just nine goals in 57 appearances for Nottingham Forest, so to pay a fee of £7 million to secure the services of a then 20-year-old was a big gamble for the club to pursue.

While it proved a success, it also remains something of an eyebrow-raiser. It showcased the risk the club was willing to take in the pursuit of success. Rovers are longing for a return to the Premier League, having not competed in the top flight since the 2011/12 season, and the club have proved not only with Brereton Diaz’s transfer, that they are willing to take potential financial gambles to get there.