Nottingham Forest transfer still raises eyebrows despite success: View

Blackburn Rovers have made a number of excellent signings during their time in the Football League, bringing an array of attacking talent to Ewood Park in recent years.

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.

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.