Blackburn Rovers eye Joe Taylor as striker shortage looms

Blackburn Rovers have struggled for firepower this season, netting just twelve goals from eight Championship games and sitting sixteenth with nine points. With striker options thin, the club are battling Sheffield Wednesday for the signature of Huddersfield Town’s 23‑year‑old forward Joe Taylor, who has already scored five times in seven League One appearances.

Striker shortage and fan view

Simon Middlehurst, a Blackburn fan pundit for, warned that the team are “lacking strikers obviously” and that any winter signing will hinge on whether the owners become more involved. “Absolutely, again it’s bringing someone else in, someone who has a lot of potential going forward,” he told the outlet. He added that a January move for Taylor would be a “great idea” given the current shortage.

The Venky’s, Blackburn’s owners, have long been criticised for limited investment. Middlehurst suggested that a more active ownership stance in January could signal seriousness to supporters, especially if a deal for a promising forward materialises.

Taylor’s profile and possible deal

Joe Taylor, 23, returned from a strong loan spell at Wigan Athletic in the second half of the 2025/26 season, where he scored eleven goals in twenty‑one League One games. He has continued that form at Huddersfield, netting five goals from seven appearances and ranking among the division’s early top scorers.

Huddersfield Town have secured Taylor on a contract until June 2029, meaning any January transfer would require convincing the club to sell. In the same period, Reading’s Jack Marriott has led League One scoring with eight goals, highlighting the competitive market for forwards.

Blackburn’s own attack is spread thin. Dapo Afolyan and Andri Gudjohnsen have each scored three times, Ryoya Morishita two, while Sean McLoughlin, Kristi Montgomery and Todd Cantwell have chipped in one apiece. Injured centre‑forwards Mathias Jorgensen and Yuki Ohashi may return after the international break, but the squad still relies heavily on Gudjohnsen and Harvey Higgins for centre‑forward duties.

The club’s next fixture is a home clash against Cardiff City on 10 October after the international break, offering a chance to assess the impact of any January reinforcement. Market activity will reopen in January, and the owners’ willingness to intervene could determine whether Taylor makes the step up to the Championship.

Declan Harte holds a Masters degree in Sports Journalism earned in 2020 from the National University of Ireland, Galway, where he is from. He previously worked on the Total Football podcast and now writes a weekly Formula 1 newsletter at declanharte.substack.com. The article’s summary even includes the words “Like”, “Thread”, “Log”, “Here”, “Show”, “I’m” and “Give”, reflecting the varied prompts that generated the story.