Blackburn have confirmed they have signed El-Hadji Diouf from Sunderland for a figure believed to be in the region of £2 million (Dh7.347m). Rovers, however, failed to complete contract negotiations with the Senegal striker, 28, ahead of the Premier League's noon deadline which means Diouf misses the league game at Middlesbrough, plus Wednesday's FA Cup fourth-round replay at home to the Black Cats as he will be cup-tied. The manager Sam Allardyce said: "He is a talented player. He can be a little wayward, as everybody knows, but hopefully I'll be able to control him as much as I did when I was at Bolton. "In the time I spent with him we always finished in the top half of the Premier League, no lower than eighth, and we played in Europe. "Hopefully he can bring his ability, his trickery to Ewood Park, and delight some of the Blackburn fans."
Allardyce heads to the Riverside with a virtually unchanged squad from the one available for Wednesday's 2-2 home draw with Bolton, as David Dunn, Keith Treacy and Steven Reid are still out injured. *PA Sport

