Birmingham City step up chase for Jordan James replacement

Birmingham City would feel better about James’ departure with this summer acquisition.

Anyone with Birmingham City connections knows that keeping Jordan James at St. Andrew’s will be a difficult assignment, especially after such a traumatic relegation.

The 19-year-old Blues asset will obviously want to try himself elsewhere now that his boyhood club has been relegated to League One for the first time in 29 years, with Atalanta sniffing about in Italy – a potentially exhilarating new adventure for the home-grown star.

This does not have to be bad news for Chris Davies’ team, as a move for another midfield gem might lessen the blow of their youthful talent moving on significantly if a deal is made this transfer season.

Birmingham looking at in-demand gem

According to trade guru Fabrizio Romano, Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Marc Leonard is expected to leave the Seagulls on a permanent basis this summer after playing on loan for Northampton Town the last two seasons.

That has sparked the interest of numerous third-tier clubs as a result, with Birmingham and Wrexham already tussling over his talents, plus freshly promoted Oxford United from the Championship putting their hat into the ring – the three reported to be “leading the race” for his signing.

A 4⃣th goal in his last 6 games for Marc Leonard today#ShoeArmy 👞 pic.twitter.com/R9vTRbMNiD

— Northampton Town (@ntfc) February 24, 2024

The Scottish midfielder was on fire for Jon Brady’s Cobblers last season, helping his loan side to an impressive 14th-place finish just after winning promotion, and the £300k asking price – as stated further by Romano – would mean he is an absolute steal for whichever side wins the battle for his services.

Birmingham will aim to press on and outbid Wrexham and Oxford from the league above for his signature in order to secure an ideal James replacement, who would definitely boost Davies’ team ahead of the goal of achieving rapid promotion glory.

Why Leonard could be the dream James replacement

Leonard, who just had a successful season in League One with a middle-of-the-road club, might improve even more by joining Birmingham, who will be seeking to become third-tier champions next season.

The former Scotland U21 international would contribute five goals and six assists from the heart of the park for Brady’s side throughout all competitions, matching James’ performance of eight goals and zero assists in the tier above.

Birmingham would gain a perfect replacement for the 19-year-old if a deal is completed, as he has shown himself to be a more versatile player than James was last season for the Blues with the Cobblers, outperforming James in terms of touches managed per game and ball recoveries.

Brady has labelled the 22-year-old as having the ability to “go all the way to the top,” and has even indicated that Scottish Rangers or Celtic should have him on their shopping lists this summer. If he does migrate to the West Midlands, the Blues will be in for an arguable coup.

There is no doubt that James, who has 11 senior Wales caps, will have a memorable career if he continues on his present upward trajectory, with West Ham United also interested in him.

However, if Birmingham cannot afford to lose their standout talent, they might do far worse than swooping in for Leonard as a possible promotion-winning side begins to form.