While thousands of British tourists jet over to the continent in a bid to escape one of the wettest summers on record, last week saw two Portuguese footballers buck the trend and go in the opposite direction, swapping the sun and sea in Iberia for sleet and snow in Lancashire.

It may have been one of the worst-kept secrets of the transfer window, but when Blackburn Rovers’ capture of Nuno Gomes on a two-year deal was finally announced last Tuesday it still raised more than a few eyebrows.

Two days later the veteran striker was joined by nineteen-year-old winger Fabio Nunes from Portimonese, and with Blackburn leading the chase to sign Sporting midfielder Adrien Silva it appears that this mini-exodus of Portuguese players to Ewood Park is not over yet.

The trend is certainly a surprising one. In going to England Gomes is believed to have turned down much more lucrative offers from both the USA and the Middle East. Nunes, who has represented Portugal at Under-20 level, spent last season on loan with Serie A side Parma while Silva is said to favour Blackburn despite interest from Porto and Marseilles. In all three cases, it would probably be fair to say that a trip to play in England’s second tier is not the most obvious of career moves.

Not that Rovers are a small club. Formed in 1875, they were one of the founding members of the English Football League. They are also one of only five teams to have won the Premier League, after the guidance of Kenny Dalglish and goals of Alan Shearer helped them to the title in 1994/95. Yet for all their history and tradition, it would be difficult to argue that playing for Blackburn is an attractive proposition right now.
 

This year Blackburn will compete in England’s second division for the first time in over a decade after their relegation from the top flight last season. Their owners, Indian poultry company Venky’s, have reduced the club to a laughing stock during their short but disastrous tenure, while boss Steve Kean is so unpopular amongst the club’s fans that he was the subject of regular demonstrations and even death threats last season. When the new recruits report for pre-season training, they will not be walking into a happy home.

It all started back in November 2010 when Venky’s completed the takeover of the club at a cost of £43m, promising big name signings like Ronaldinho or David Beckham and European football within a few years.

At the time, Rovers were comfortable in mid-table but one month later manager Sam Allardyce was inexplicably sacked and replaced by his assistant Kean, initially on a temporary basis. It was Kean’s first job in charge of a club, and it showed. Blackburn recorded just five wins from their last twenty league games, and only avoided relegation on the last day of the season. Yet Kean remained in charge for the start of the new campaign. By November Rovers were bottom of the league, but despite the side’s abysmal form Kean was rewarded with a contract extension.

It was a decision that enraged an already irate fanbase, and as the season went on their protests became more frequent and ferocious. Throughout all of this the Indian owners were conspicuous by their absence, choosing to communicate through club officials as they seemed to have lost the plot. One rumour suggested that the hapless owners were unaware of the possibility of relegation, but as the season drew on it became a concept that they could no longer ignore.

The last home game of the season against Wigan was interrupted by a chicken, let loose on the pitch with a flag around its neck. The farcical pantomime that Blackburn had become under Venky’s was summed up as the players struggled to capture the feathered intruder, but as the final whistle sounded to confirm their relegation few were left laughing.

And yet still Steve Kean remains in charge. Having won less than a quarter of league games since taking over, this season is surely his last chance to prove himself. Anything other than an instant return to the top flight will be deemed as failure, and the Championship is a notoriously difficult league to get out of.

With the futures of star man Junior Hoillet, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson and Swedish international Martin Olsson all unclear, it appears that Steve Kean, who speaks fluent Portuguese thanks to a three-year spell with Académica de Coimbra during his playing career, is putting his faith in new recruits as he looks to repair his reputation.
 

And with last season’s top scorer Yakubu already departed for Guangzhou R&F in China, the stage could well be set for Nuno Gomes to play a leading role. The Championship may be very demanding physically, but there are plenty of recent examples of ageing strikers who have still managed to excel thanks to their eye for goal.

Jason Roberts was instrumental in helping Reading win the league last year, with the 34-year-old scoring six goals after arriving on loan from Blackburn in January to aid the Royals on their incredible run to the top of the table. Kevin Phillips, now 38, also managed to net seventeen times for Blackpool, helping them reach the play-off final where they went on to lose to West Ham.

Throughout his career Gomes has been praised as a good link-up player who offers just as much in the creation of goals as in the scoring of them. Having captured Republic of Ireland international Leon Best from Newcastle for £3m, who offers pace and strength in abundance, Blackburn may have found the perfect partner for the former Selecção striker.

There are not many marksmen in the Championship that have twenty-nine international goals to their name, and having scored his first one against England to complete Portugal’s 3-2 comeback in Euro 2000, Gomes is no stranger to English supporters.

Even so, his arrival last week was met with mixture of surprise and sarcasm. It will certainly be fascinating to see if the 36-year-old can give them something else to remember him by as he looks to complete his swan song amidst choppy waters at Blackburn.