Birmingham City supporters haven’t exactly had much to complain about this summer, with the club making a host of excitingly-ambitious captures in the transfer market to spearhead their 2024/25 League One promotion bid.
Emil Hansson and Willum Thor Willumson – both from the Eredivisie – may well be the standout signings from afar given Blues’ status as a third-tier outfit, but the likes of Luke Harris, Marc Leonard and Alfie May all represent impressive domestic acquisitions too, and it will be hoped that Head Coach Chris Davies can bolster his squad even further before the window slams shut at the end of this month.
They’ve simply done all the right things thus far, which is exactly why they look extremely well-placed to plot an immediate return to the Championship. However, there are two pressing transfer scenarios that Birmingham must avoid at all costs – and Football League World has decided to summarise them…
Failing to sign another striker
In the aforementioned May, Birmingham possess quite arguably League One’s finest marksman. His goalscoring record over the previous three campaigns says as much and he finished as the division’s top scorer last year with Charlton Athletic, where he notched 27 strikes across all competitions.
May is, of course, an outstanding signing who clearly underlines their promotion intentions. The worry, however, pertains to the shortage of reliable options behind him. Thankfully for Birmingham, May also offers remarkable availability but injuries can be unprecedented.
What can be expected is the physical toil of a 46-game campaign and the inconsistency that invariably creeps in, so there are three viable risks with shortage of strength in depth at the top end of the pitch.
At the time of writing, Blues’ only other recognised, out-and-out striker is Lukas Jutkiewicz, who is tried-and-tested but unlikely to bring too much to the table in terms of goals at the ripe old age of 35.
There is the potential of a Jay Stansfield return, which would provide Davies with an almighty selection headache, though it remains to be seen whether they can actually bring a player of such pedigree and promise to League One.
It’s certainly a worry and while they are striving to rectify the issue, they just can’t afford to head into September and beyond with such thin options.
Losing Jordan James on the cheap
Perhaps Blues are too savvy on the transfer front these days for fans to seriously worry about the club accepting a lowball offer for James, but it nonetheless remains a situation which must be avoided at all costs.
It would’ve come as a real surprise to see James stay put in the Second City following the conclusion of the current window, but it looks as though the Wales international is on his way out, with Stade Rennais closing in on a deal, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Of course, James has credit in the bank at Championship level and it’s clear for all to see that his ceiling is much higher than the third-tier.
He’ll also be keen to build on his 11 senior caps for the Welsh national team and enforce himself as a pivotal factor in the thinking of new Red Dragons Head Coach Craig Bellamy, which may not be possible if he’s plying his trade in League One.
All things considered, it looks like the 20-year-old will move on to pastures new very soon, but there will be some disappoinment if the fee is anything below the £7.5 million mark, you would think.
Failing to sign another striker
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