Birmingham City aiming to make Ipswich star their top target as they forget about…

Birmingham City are looking for a new goalkeeper, and Christian Walton of Ipswich Town should be their primary target.

Birmingham City intends to focus on keeping its Championship status before making any substantial transfer signings in the summer.
They are looking to recruit a new goalkeeper, with Christian Walton of Ipswich Town emerging as a more ambitious option than Aynsley Pears.
Walton’s impressive records and Championship experience make him an excellent choice for Birmingham, providing the team with a trustworthy option.

Birmingham City is likely to be active in the summer transfer window, if they maintain their Championship position.

The Blues were expected to have a busy January, but with the club’s slide to near the bottom of the standings and Wayne Rooney’s recent sacking, the club chose to take a more measured approach.

Birmingham’s primary focus is now on keeping their Championship status, and if that is accomplished, their attention will undoubtedly shift to what they intend to do in the summer with incomings and outgoings.

Signing a new goalkeeper appears to be a priority for the club, since both John Ruddy and Neil Etheridge are out of contract in the summer and will leave if a new agreement is not agreed upon.

In reality, journalist Alan Nixon has stated that the Blues are trying to acquire a new goalkeeper, with Blackburn Rovers’ Aynsley Pears a possible candidate.

Birmingham City are interested in Aynsley Pears.

Aynsley Pears has been at Ewood Park since 2020, when he signed from Middlesbrough. Tony Mowbray, now Birmingham manager, was in charge of Blackburn at the time.

It now appears like Mowbray may be interested in reuniting with the goalkeeper, with Alan Nixon stating that Birmingham are seeking for a new goalkeeper, and Pears is one option.

The article goes on to say that the Lancashire club would be willing to trade the goalkeeper if a suitable offer came in, despite the 25-year-old being the club’s current first choice in goal.

Pears didn’t play much under Mowbray, but he waited his turn and eventually got his time at Blackburn last season, becoming the club’s number one goalkeeper halfway through the season.

The 25-year-old has maintained his starting position this season; even when he missed a few games due to injury, he returned and regained his spot.

While Mowbray and Pears know one other and could make sense, Birmingham should be more adventurous when it comes to recruiting a goalkeeper, and Ipswich Town shot stopper Christian Walton could be the ideal candidate.

Birmingham should target Christian Walton rather than Pears.

Christian Walton has established himself as a very excellent goalkeeper at this level during the last few seasons, following loan spells at Wigan Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, and Ipswich.

The 28-year-old impressed greatly, with each loan term earning him a shot for the following season, but it wasn’t until he joined the Tractor Boys that he performed admirably and won a permanent move to Portman Road.

Walton recorded 14 clean sheets in his debut season at Ipswich before increasing his tally significantly last season, to 22 out of 46 league games.

Furthermore, Walton was averaging just 0.7 goals per game and was chosen team of the week twice, according to SofaScore.com.

Walton made 1.8 saves per game and saved two of the six penalties he faced in League One last season. The Ipswich goalkeeper made 84 saves this season, 60 of which were inside the 18-yard box.

According to SofaScore.com, the 28-year-old averaged 69% pass accuracy per game last season, with only one of his blunders resulting in a goal.

Walton was one of League One’s finest performers last season, but he suffered an injury in pre-season, missing Ipswich’s first nine league games. That meant he lost his regular starting spot at Portman Road to Vaclav Hladky, which remains the case today.

Walton has yet to play a single minute in the Championship this season, having only appeared in the FA Cup and the EFL Cup. The 28-year-old’s contract expires this summer, but Ipswich have the option to extend it by a year, but with him now being a second choice, Walton may be seeking for a fresh start in the summer.

This is where Birmingham may step in, as they are clearly seeking for a goalkeeper in the summer, and Walton could be an ideal candidate.

He has extensive Championship experience, and Mowbray is quite familiar with him, having signed him at Blackburn.

Furthermore, if Ipswich wins promotion to the Premier League, they may try to move Walton on and possibly sign a new goalkeeper for the long term.

Birmingham should be very interested, as he has shown himself in the second tier and, on his best day, can be one of the top goalkeepers in the league.

Walton might be a very good addition for the Blues because he still has a lot to give and may be less expensive than Blackburn’s asking price for Pears.