MX23RW : Saturday, November 16 13:34:18| >> :600:234418:234418:

On this day: Blackburn Rovers sign Graeme Le Saux

Twenty-two years ago today, Blackburn Rovers completed the signing of Chelsea left-back Graeme Le Saux.

In what was the Premier League's first season, it became clear quite quickly that Jack Walker was determined that his newly-promoted Blackburn Rovers side would not simply make up the numbers.

The British industrialist and businessman certainly trusted his manager Kenny Dalglish, allowing him to spend big on the likes of Alan Shearer, Tim Flowers, Henning Berg and Tim Sherwood.

Another piece of the Ewood Park jigsaw was Graeme Le Saux, who arrived from Chelsea 22 years ago today for a reported £700,000.

The left-back's stint at Chelsea had turned sour, particularly after a spat with manager Ian Porterfield, who had decided to substitute the defender during a game against Southampton.

Speaking recently to the Premier League's official website about the move, Le Saux said: "I remember it vividly because it was an opportunity to go to another club from Chelsea at a time when things weren't really working out for me. The opportunity to go to Blackburn was fantastic.

"But in all honesty, I remember when I was first asked if I'd be interested in going there, I did have to look it up on a map I knew it was North of Manchester but I didn't know how far North.

"Obviously with Kenny Dalglish being their manager and with what they did in their first season in the Barclays Premier League, it was amazing to become part of that. So I remember going up on the train and meeting one of my heroes, Kenny, and agreeing terms."

Le Saux made his debut against Liverpool and he would be on a losing side just twice between then and the end of the campaign as Rovers finished fourth.

The following campaign, Le Saux was part of a Blackburn team that finished runners-up to Manchester United, before they pipped the Red Devils to the title in 1995.

"What I did notice from the moment I arrived was training and within those first few days I was absolutely exhausted because the training was so intense and so competitive," he added.

"That was the standard set by the players and the management. Every training session meant something, and that was the philosophy of the club and what gave us that incredible momentum. The rest is history - we finished fourth, second and then won the Premier League in our third season."

In August 1997, Le Saux returned to Chelsea in a deal worth £5m, which at the time was a record fee for an English defender.

ID:213179: cacheID:213179:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3871:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal's manager Arsene Wenger waits for the begining of the UEFA Champions League play-off football match Besiktas vs Arsenal at Ataturk Olympic Stadium on August 19, 2014
Read Next:
OTD: Wenger gets off to winning start
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland1594225111431
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1510321971231
3Leeds UnitedLeeds158522491529
4Burnley157621861227
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom15672169725
6Watford158162322125
7Middlesbrough157352317624
8Millwall156541813523
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City155732019122
11Swansea CitySwansea155461110119
12Derby CountyDerby155461919019
13Stoke CityStoke155461819-119
14Norwich CityNorwich154652322118
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds155371725-818
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd154561718-117
17Coventry CityCoventry154472021-116
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth154471526-1116
19Hull City153661620-415
20Preston North EndPreston153661523-815
21Luton TownLuton154381726-915
22Cardiff CityCardiff154381423-915
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR151771225-1310


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!