Premiership: Grabbi has a future at Rovers

Graeme Souness claims unsettled striker Corrado Grabbi can still be a success in the Premiership with Blackburn.

Grabbi is being tipped to return home to Italy when the Italian transfer window opens in the next few weeks and Napoli and Bologna have already made enquiries to Blackburn.

Grabbi and his young family have struggled to settle in England since his £6.75m summer move from Ternana and he has managed just one goal in 10 appearances.

Grabbi, though, now claims he wants to stay at Ewood Park and Souness says it is not definite that he will leave.

‘‘He wants to be a success in English football,’’ said the Rovers manager.

‘‘He knows there’s interest in him back home, but until we get an offer on the table it’s not worth talking about.

‘‘He has all the equipment to succeed here. If you look at his games for us he has always looked threatening in every game. He has looked like scoring goals in every game he’s played.

‘‘We paid a lot of money for him and I hope he does settle down and get himself fully fit and shows our public what he’s capable of.’’

Grabbi could begin that process tomorrow against Middlesbrough at Ewood Park and he is back after missing the last month because of illness and a knee injury.

However his new commitment to Blackburn could be severely tested if an Italian club does come in for him and offers him an escape route home.

And despite Souness’ pronouncements about Grabbi, it is clear he is prepared to do business if the money is right.

As the uncertainty over Grabbi’s future continues, Souness has ended his interest in Stockport striker Shefki Kuqi after watching the Finland international train with Rovers this week.

Souness is now looking elsewhere for a new striker, although he claims ‘‘there is nothing on the horizon’’.

Blackburn face Middlesbrough, who they beat at Ewood Park in the Worthington Cup in October, with one of only two remaining unbeaten home records in the Premiership.

Chelsea are the only other side who have not lost at home in any competition this season.

Superstitious Souness refused to talk about Blackburn’s home form saying: ‘‘The minute you open your mouth, the worst thing happens.’’

Instead it was left to Craig Short to spell out the reasons for Blackburn’s record at Ewood Park this season.

‘‘We knew at the start of the season that it would be very important to be good at home because away from home it would be so difficult,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s okay picking up points away from home, but getting wins away from home is very difficult.

‘‘We knew we had to have a good home record, but now we’ve got to start winning more games at home.

‘‘We’ve drawn our last two Premiership matches at home and in our next two home games, starting tomorrow, it would be great to have two wins.’’

In addition to Grabbi, Lucas Neill returns from his knee injury, which means Garry Flitcroft is Rovers’ only absentee and the midfielder is continuing to have treatment on his damaged hamstring.