Source: SKY_Sports
Big Sam targets a striker
Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce says his primary objective this summer is signing a replacement for Roque Santa Cruz.
The Ewood Park tactician has been given his budget for the transfer window following this week's departure of the Paraguayan to Manchester City.
With Matt Derbyshire also following Santa Cruz out the club Allardyce admits bolstering his attacking options is imperative.
Although Allardyce would not be against using all the money to land just one player he has hinted he could hedge his bets and bring in two strikers.
However, he will not have all the funds generated from this week's sales after conceding some of the cash will go towards the club's long-term stability.
New players
"We've got to now get in the position of signing new players," he told Sky Sports News. "New players now are very, very important.
"We've sold what we need to sell. We've put the financial side of the club in the right position, where it needed to be.
"I think there is now some money available. Not everything that has been recouped which is obviously a shame for me, but something that the club had to do financially.
"We'll move from player to player until that money has been spent wisely as we can.
"The first priority is to try and bring in a striker, if not one probabley two. But that's depends on what's available, where we can go and what the cost is?
"If I feel it necessary to spend all the money on one particular striker then I'll do that. If not then I'll try and split it up a bit."
Inevitable
Allardyce succeeded former manager Paul Ince last December and he believes Santa Cruz wanted to leave the club from day one.
Rovers fought tooth and nail to retain the striker for the second half of the season and while injury restricted his appearances, the former Bolton man thinks the club chose the right stance.
"I think from day one where I came here he made no bones of the fact he wanted to leave," Allardyce continued.
"From the club's point of view and the position we were in it was very important that he didn't leave in January.
"He didn't play as much as we hoped anyway, but he did make a contribution into our difficult task in staying in the Premier League.
"We managed to do that sometimes with him, but a lot of the time without him."
