If the final throws of the transfer window were time against money, then it’s now become expectation against patience.

The deadline day additions of Aynsley Pears, Barry Douglas, Tom Trybull and Harvey Elliott have added a depth, and quality, to the squad not seen since relegation from the Premier League.

Yes, Rovers will have had bigger squads in that time, but those were bloated with names who would make for a good ‘Forgotten Blackburn Rovers players’ Twitter account. Top to bottom, this has to be the best squad available to any Rovers manager equipped with getting them back into the Premier League.

But things may take a while to come together.

The weekend defeat to Nottingham Forest was a case in point. The signings have increased the expectations of a top six finish, but the squad which was named against Forest was a far cry from the one Mowbray will hope to be able to name in a few weeks’ time.

But before the next international break in the second week of November, Rovers have six more Championship fixtures, and 18 points, to play for.

The new signings will be needed quicker than they may be ready, and it will be interesting to see how Mowbray manages their integration, having become known for his preference for giving players time to adapt to their new surroundings.

What Rovers have been able to do is address the issues that many would have highlighted in the summer. And while Mowbray has talked about depth to his squad, and creating competition, you’d be hard pushed not to expect half, if not more, of the signings not to command a place in the side.

Rovers in the past have been blessed with strong No.1s, less so in their Championship days in which they’ve been forced to fiddle around to find the right one. However, in Thomas Kaminski they look to have found a fully-fledged first-choice goalkeeper.

In Aynsley Pears and Antonis Stergiakis they have young goalkeepers, at 22 and 21 respectively, with senior experience already to their names, with plenty of growth in them and signed to long-term deals.

Many would feel that central defence is a position that’s been neglected in recent times. Tosin Adarabioyo had star-quality, but his season-long loan was always going to be very much that, should promotion not be secured.

Something was always going to give when it came to finding Tosin Adarabioyo’s replacement. They were never going to get a player on a permanent deal who could play out from the back or cover the ground like Adarabioyo.

They went for what Tony Mowbray would call ‘a man’ in Daniel Ayala, a player who has been there and done it, with promotion under his belt from this division with Middlesbrough in 2016.

That last point was a significant feature of the deadline day business. With Rovers having phased out many of their previously most experienced players, Mowbray sensed the need for know-how.

And he’s done that in the form of ready-made Championship players, with Barry Douglas twice a promotion-winner, in 2018 with Wolves and last season with Leeds, while Tom Trybull did that with Norwich in 2019.

It’s often the signings with the least fanfare that prove to be the most astute.

Trybull, on the evidence available, could well be the pick of the signings. Able to play the pivot role in the centre of a midfield three, the expectation will be that he can dictate the play from a deep-lying midfield role, a point of difference within the squad, and from seasons gone by.

When it comes to fanfare, and social media numbers, Harvey Elliott was undoubtedly the stand-out and eye-catching bit of business. How Mowbray manages his game-time will be particularly interesting.

Very few Premier League sides would loan out a player at 17, and that wasn’t Liverpool’s plan initially, but a combination of the case of Rovers putting together a compelling case, and his willingness to make the move, made it possible.

Mowbray has had success in the loan market previously, and that also swayed Liverpool’s thinking, but at Rovers, his preference has always been for permanent signings.

That was also going to be difficult in this current climate, and Douglas and Trybull don’t represent ‘a punt’ that some other loan deals might.

Rovers’ window has gone above expectation for most, but there are still question marks that will need to be addressed during the course of the campaign.

After back-to-back failures at home to find the back of the net, they still need to find a way to break teams down who come to Ewood and sit men behind the ball.

The return of Bradley Dack should help fix that, as it should alleviate the pressure on Adam Armstrong to find the net, as without the pair, Rovers are yet to find a regular source of goals.

There was never the thought of adding another frontman to their ranks in this window, and having splashed the cash on Sam Gallagher and Ben Brereton in successive summers, that will undoubtedly have played a part, and they will need to improve on their returns infront of goal.

While this squad may not have a Rudy Gestede and Jordan Rhodes combination in attack, across the board, Rovers have put together a group which should only have eyes for the top six, and beyond.