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Southampton: Saints striker set for £5m transfer to Blackburn Rovers

By Marc Walker

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Sam Gallagher of Southampton looks dejected after Wolverhampton Wanderers' third goal during the Premier League 2 match between Wolverhampton Wanderers U23 and Southampton U23 at Molineux on March 11, 2019 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Alex Burstow/Getty Images)
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Sam Gallagher of Southampton looks dejected after Wolverhampton Wanderers' third goal during the Premier League 2 match between Wolverhampton Wanderers U23 and Southampton U23 at Molineux on March 11, 2019 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Alex Burstow/Getty Images) /
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Southampton striker Sam Gallagher is set to complete a £5m transfer to Championship side Blackburn Rovers by this weekend.

According to multiple sources – including the Daily Echo, Lancashire Live and Telegraph journalist Sam Wallace – the 23-year-old is set to be the latest fringe player in the Saints squad to be moved out.

Blackburn’s second-tier rivals Wigan were also said to be heavily interested in Gallagher but the £5m fee and the player’s wage demands proved to be a stumbling block in their negotiations.

Brentford was also a potential destination for the out-of-favour striker but he is now ready to rejoin the club where he spent a successful loan spell back in the 2016/17 season.

After much promise in his early showings for Saints, Gallagher somewhat faded out of contention once former manager Mauricio Pochettino had left.

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – MARCH 15: Sam Gallagher of Southampton celebrates after scoring his teams’ fourth goal despite the efforts of Steven Whittaker of Norwich during the Barclays Premier League match between Southampton and Norwich City at St Mary’s Stadium on March 15, 2014 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – MARCH 15: Sam Gallagher of Southampton celebrates after scoring his teams’ fourth goal despite the efforts of Steven Whittaker of Norwich during the Barclays Premier League match between Southampton and Norwich City at St Mary’s Stadium on March 15, 2014 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

He made 20 senior appearances as a 17-year-old in 2013/14 and scored his only two goals for the club during that time; one in a 4-2 Premier League win over Norwich City and another in a 2-0 FA Cup victory against Yeovil Town.

However, just six more first-team games came for him after that breakthrough season and he was forced out on three successive loan spells.

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Five months at MK Dons in the 2015/16 campaign proved rather fruitless before his best season yet came the following year at Ewood Park with Blackburn.

Gallagher became a fans favourite there after scoring 12 times in 47 appearances in all competitions, and this could well help him as he makes a permanent move in the near future.

A further 33 Championship matches came for him during another temporary spell with Birmingham City in which he scored seven times.

Whether the 6ft 3in forward is the same player that Blackburn saw three years ago remains to be seen, but memories of his time there will help fans recognise him as a talent and help him bed back into familiar surroundings.

For Saints, a £5m fee for a player who has struggled to break back into first-team plans marks some very respectable business.

That money will help the club to bring in further signings of their own, with defensive reinforcements now a priority.

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