Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has confirmed the club still has financial wriggle room to make the signings he wants before Tuesday’s transfer deadline, with a left-winger and a new number 10 still on the shopping list.
Davies has been clear about the need to strengthen the starting XI, which has looked weaker on paper after the departures of Kai Wagner and influential winger Ibrahim Osman. Kristoffer Lund has arrived to replace Wagner, who returned to Philadelphia Union having failed to settle in the area, but Blues are still searching for a successor to Osman, who has returned to parent club Brighton.
Osman was Blues’ top target at the beginning of pre-season, but Davies has all but given up hope of luring him back. A comparable left-winger is required to carry the ball through the thirds, while Blues are also in the market for a new number 10.
Starting XI not yet strengthened
It is telling that none of Blues’ new signings – aside from last season’s loanees James Beadle and Jhon Solis – have started a Championship game yet. Davies accepts that the starting XI hasn’t been strengthened so far.
“I’ve said all along that we need to get to a position where we feel that we have a better squad than we did last year,” he said. “We finished 10th and no matter what anyone says I think 10th was a good first season back in the Championship. It was a good step for us back into a very unforgiving division.
“The idea is can we go one better than that this season. Can we really push on now you’ve got the chance to finish in the top eight and you get yourselves in the play-off picture.
“For that, it’s logical for me to say well let’s make sure the squad’s better than last year and if the squad’s better then that becomes a realistic expectation.
“From our point of view, there’s a couple of players that have moved on that were pretty important in that sense.
“We have signed a few that have covered others that have left but, like you say, it’s important that we feel we’re strengthening.
“There’s five or six days to go and still activity going on, and hopefully by Tuesday night we can look at it and say we’re really set up now for the season ahead.”
Financial wriggle room confirmed
A pot of cash was evidently set aside to re-sign Osman, so one can presume Blues have money to spend in the final days of the window. When asked directly if there is financial wriggle room to sign the high-quality players he desires, Davies replied: “I believe so.
“I don’t know the exact ins and outs of it all to be honest, but I’m hopeful.
“I’ve been clear on what we need to really push us on for some time now and – I keep saying the same thing – when we get to that transfer deadline we can say we’re in a strong position now.
“There’s a lot of moving parts there, agents, players and clubs, but hopefully we can make some meaningful steps in the next few days because time is of the essence right now.”
Outgoings possible
Davies has also made it clear he would like to keep Patrick Roberts, despite the winger’s lack of game time recently, but there are others who could yet depart. Marvin Ducksch is among those with interest from elsewhere.
Davies added: “There might be one or two that end up going and it can move quite quickly, but you want to keep hold of your best players, that’s for sure. That’s my intention.”
