Daily Cannon reports that Alebiosu, a former Arsenal academy player now with Blackburn, has undergone the operation, with manager Tony Mowbray saying beforehand that the recovery could keep him out for “three or four months, maybe a touch longer”.
That is the part Blackburn cannot dress up. Mowbray called it “a tough break” for the team and for the player, and his explanation was practical rather than sentimental: Alebiosu gives them the ability to cover ground and join attacks quickly. Remove that from the squad and options narrow, especially over a stretch measured in months rather than matches.
The surgery was completed earlier in the week, which is the encouraging detail. The less encouraging one is familiar to any club dealing with this kind of absence: rehabilitation does not respond to impatience. Mowbray said Alebiosu will need to be “really disciplined” and do the hard work to get himself back in the new year.
Alebiosu spent 13 years with Arsenal after joining at eight, reaching senior matchday squads without making a first-team appearance before moving on in 2023. Since joining Blackburn in 2025, he has made 55 appearances, enough to make this more than a name disappearing quietly from the team sheet.
There is no firmer return date in the report than Mowbray’s estimate. For Blackburn, the immediate fact is straightforward: one of their regular defenders is out, and the replacement problem starts now.
Sophia Borg 
Dua Mifsud 