Three former Blackburn Rovers strikers are in the form of their life right now.
With Tony Mowbray forced to rely on Danny Graham to fire Blackburn Rovers to Championship survival, he could be forgiven for wishing he could smuggle Alan Shearer, Chris Sutton or even Matt Jansen into a time machine and force a five-year contract into his hands.
Therefore, it doesn’t help that, while Rovers are a point adrift of safety in the bottom three, two of the club’s infamous striking flops are scoring for fun in major European leagues. And a homegrown hero is enjoying the best form of his life.
Anthony Modeste managed more red cards than goals during a nine game loan spell at Ewood Park in 2012, thus returning to Bordeaux at the end of the season seemingly never to be heard of again.
Five seasons on, however, the Frenchman is now competing with Robert Lewandowski and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang to top the Bundesliga scoring charts having plundered 22 goals in 24 games, including three hat-tricks, for an overachieving Cologne side.
Meanwhile, a total of seven Premier League goals in 44 games meant Nikola Kalinic hardly succeeded in justifying his £6 million transfer fee from Hajduk Split in 2009. These days, he’s one of the most feared hitmen in Serie A, Fiorentina the beneficiaries of 19 goals this season.
And remember Matt Derbyshire? The local lad who made waves at his boyhood club before embarking on a nomadic career comprising spells at Olympiakos, Oldham and Rotherham?
Well he’s now 30 years old and, leading the line for Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia, thumped home 21 goals in 27 games – the most prolific season of his career.
Mowbray should maybe start checking his contract for a buy-back clause.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
