Despite being expected to sign a new one-year deal with Championship side Cardiff City, Robbie Fowler has joined Blackburn to link up his former team-mate and new Rovers boss Paul Ince. The former Liverpool man is to join the Premier League side for their pre-season tour of Germany in the hope of earning a contract with the club.
Robbie Fowler had probably accepted that he wouldn’t get a chance to play at the highest level again and this is an opportunity he couldn’t turn down. At 33-years-old he is coming towards the end of his career and will be excited at the prospect of playing in the Premier League once again.
Cardiff City will be annoyed about the last-minute nature of this deal, but in all honesty, I am not sure they can be too disappointed. During last season, Robbie Fowler only played 13 times for the Bluebirds and hasn’t played since December because of a hip injury. He is probably a player that demands high wages as well, so Cardiff can also save financially.
In relation to this, Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale has admitted that Robbie Fowler’s departure ‘frees up budget for us to look for another striker’. If they can get a younger, hungrier and less injury prone front man, the loss of Fowler can actually work in favour of the Championship side.
The risk for the player himself is that he could end up without a club at all come August. He has not been offered a contract at Ewood Park and is expected to prove his fitness during pre-season. Should he fail to do this, Paul Ince may decide not to offer him a contract – meaning that Robbie Fowler will be a free agent. The ex-England striker is obviously prepared to take this risk.
As for Cardiff’s hopes in the coming season, I am unsure of what to expect from them. Before I bet on Championship football, I would like to see what movement there is in the transfer market as clubs like Cardiff City will have to add to their squad if they are to launch a promotion push. The departure of Robbie Fowler and the potential exit of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink – who scored nine goals for the club last season – highlights this even further.
I don’t think it’s really that much of a loss, like you said they can get someone else in, whos hungrier and less injury prone
hey, let him finish off in style…