Four new players have joined Birmingham City in preparation for the 2024/25 League One season.
Birmingham City are looking for their fifth signing of the summer transfer window, only a month before League One kicks off.
Blues have made a solid start to the window under new manager Chris Davies, signing Ryan Allsop, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Alfie May, and Emil Hansson. Davies has previously asked for patience as the Blues look for players who can carry the team for the next few years.
He went on: “We are being proactive and we are getting business done to bring players in to help us, but at the same time we need to understand it’s going to take time to assemble the squad that’s going to be, not just a squad that stays with us for one season, but hopefully two or three.”
But what should the Blues’ priority be right now? Our writers have identified the most pressing issues for Davies and the club’s recruitment team.
Alex Dicken
The Blues have gone about their business properly. After the departures of John Ruddy and Neil Etheridge, the goalkeeping situation needed to be addressed. Given the Blues’ new style of play, everything starts with the goalkeeper, and it was wise to prioritise that position over the others.
Signing in May was also significant. Yes, he is 31 and has never played in the Championship, but the Blues have nearly secured a source of goals by signing one of League One’s finest strikers. Meanwhile, Emil Hansson is a luxury that the Blues can afford in the area of the pitch where they have the greatest options.
Blues are very light in only one position: centre-back. The Blues only have one true centre-back in Dion Sanderson, and Davies is unsure where Krystian Bielik will go in the future.
The Blues attempted to address their defensive deficiency by signing Mike Eerdhuijzen, but the transaction fell through. Eerdhuijzen’s profile – a 6ft 4in, left-footed centre-back who enjoys possession – is ideal.
He is hardly the only player of such type, and Blues will undoubtedly look for an option. In my opinion, that is the player they should sign next.
Brian Dick
Two Championship-caliber goalkeepers, the league’s leading scorer, and a genuinely entertaining Eredivisie winger – it’s been a strong start. However, this is only the beginning, and one position in particular stands out as requiring attention. Centre-back.
Marc Roberts has gone, Emanuel Aiwu won’t be returning, the departure Kevin Long is one of many blunders that belong in a closed chapter. All of this leaves Dion Sanderson and his recovery in the eyes of Blues fans, with nothing else in the midst of the defence.
Certainly not if you are skeptical. Krystian Bielik will continue with the club or be played as a centre half. He is now classified as a midfielder on the Blues website. Links with Connor Goldson, who has caught Steven Gerard’s eye in Saudi Arabia, are unlikely to bear fruit, but they do imply the Blues are seeking for an experienced, no-nonsense centre-back, as they should be.
