Duncan McGuire did not sign with Blackburn Rovers and instead stayed in Orlando
For Sheffield Wednesday, a misstep during the January transfer window might have been a godsend, but for Blackburn Rovers, who are now involved in the Championship relegation race, it could have been a disaster.
Why Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn Rovers will have differing feelings about Duncan McGuire miss
There will be varying opinions regarding McGuire’s unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the Championship, given that he is staying in Europe.
They will view it as a disguised blessing in Wednesday’s eyes.
McGuire might not have been as successful, but Ugbo seems to be on the rise. After spending nearly the entire first half of the season rooted to the bottom of the table, the former Chelsea player scored the game’s only goal as the Owls defeated local rivals Rotherham United 1-0. It was his sixth goal in five games for the Owls. With four wins in their last five games, they have shot right up the table and are now only three points adrift of safety.
There’s no guarantee McGuire would have scored as many goals as Ugbo has, even if he had stepped up and performed admirably on the big stage. More significantly, though, he would have denied the striker playing time, which may have prevented him from reaching his peak.
Rovers will be devastated that they were unable to finalize a deal for the American striker. They have dropped down the standings with just one victory since the middle of December, and their worrisome 12-goal total at the start of the year is far short of what is required to mount a serious survival effort.
| Championship table, January 1, 2024 to March 2, 2024 | Points |
| 19 – Middlesbrough | 8 |
| 20 – Watford | 8 |
| 21 – Sunderland | 7 |
| 22 – Blackburn Rovers | 7 |
| 23 – Millwall | 7 |
| 24 – Rotherham United | 1 |
Their next-best scorer, Icelandic midfielder Arnor Sigurdsson, has a pitiful five goals, which is far from good enough for a squad that has the second-worst defensive record in the league, save for league leader Sammie Szmodics.
McGuire might have had a significant impact on their attempt to survive, and by now, he probably would have scored one or more game-changing goals.
Blackburn confirmed they had failed in their attempt to recruit McGuire in a club statement issued precisely one week after the January transfer window closed, but they acknowledged they will make another attempt to get him in the summer.
It said: “Blackburn Rovers’ attempts to sign Duncan McGuire from Orlando City of the Major League Soccer on a loan have been fruitless.
“On February 1st, an agreement was reached between the two teams for the player to sign a loan contract with Rovers through the conclusion of the current campaign, with the intention of making the move permanent in the summer.
“The signed registration forms were not sent in by the 11 p.m. deadline, even though all necessary documentation was finished and entered into the system on time. The EFL Board maintained the EFL Executive’s decision to deny Rovers’ request to register the USA international at a meeting earlier today. The EFL Board concluded that uploading papers into a draft application section did not amount to providing documents to the EFL after carefully reviewing all submissions. Additionally, it decided that as the EFL Executive had appropriately interpreted and applied its regulations and related guidance, it was not ready to exercise discretion and let the registration to take place outside of the window.
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