Birmingham City will attempt to match Coventry City’s bargain this summer

admin | May 11, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Marlon King went from Coventry City to Birmingham City in 2011, hoping to achieve the Blues’ promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

King previously scored regularly in the second division with Gillingham and Watford, and he had spent three seasons in the Premier League with Wigan Athletic, Hull City, and Middlesbrough before returning to the Championship with Coventry in 2010.

He was productive for the Sky Blues and had verbally agreed to extend his one-year contract with the club in the summer of 2011, but opted to join Birmingham under new manager Chris Hughton.

Then 31, King proved to be an excellent addition for Hughton, scoring 18 goals and providing 11 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions as the Blues finished fourth, but lost in the play-off semi-finals to eventual winners Blackpool and were eliminated in the Europa League group stage.

He scored another 14 goals in 30 games in 2012/13, however his contract was terminated that summer due to a long-term knee ailment.

Birmingham could do far worse than find another King this summer, a player who can score goals at will and improve his teammates as they look to return to the Championship after only one season in the third tier.

Birmingham don’t have a goalscorer

The Blues depended largely on Jay Stansfield’s performances in the 2023/24 season, but even his 12 league goals were insufficient to keep them from relegation.

Stansfield was named their Players’ and Supporters’ Player of the Season, and he is expected to return to parent club Fulham with another second-tier loan move this summer, as relegation rules out another move for the 21-year-old.

Scott Hogan and Lukas Jutkiewicz are both out of contract this summer and appear to be on their way out after scoring one and three league goals in 2023/24, respectively – a disappointing return from two seasoned strikers at a club in desperate need of goals.

Tyler Roberts, who came from Leeds United last summer, is their sole in-contract centre-forward option for next season, but the 25-year-old has yet to score a goal despite making just 17 league appearances due to recurring hamstring ailments.

The Blues will hope that in-contract wingers Koji Miyoshi and Siriki Dembele, who each scored six league goals this season, will stay with the club to help them relegate, but they will almost certainly lose valuable assets Jordan James and Juninho Bacuna, who scored eight and seven league goals, respectively.

Whoever is in control at St Andrew’s in 2024/25 will want a goalscorer, and a King-inspired acquisition would undoubtedly assist.

The free agent market could help

King was signed on a free transfer in 2011, and that route could again pay off for Blues as they attempt to get some bargains given the pulling power they will undoubtedly have in the third tier.

Jonson Clarke-Harris will leave Peterborough this summer as a modern-day club icon, having scored 87 goals in 189 games for the Posh since joining from Bristol Rovers in 2020.

He would be a good addition to any League One club, therefore Birmingham should be interested in his services if they are looking for a target man and a player who will score when given the perfect opportunity.

Millwall’s Tom Bradshaw is about to become a free agent; he was productive at Walsall in League One before scoring consistently in the Championship for Barnsley and the Lions, and at 31, he may be ready to drop down a league.

Devante Cole, 29, is poised to leave Barnsley with his contract set to expire, and would be a statement signing after being third in the League One scoring statistics this season with 18 goals in 46 appearances, albeit maybe destined for the Championship.

We will have to wait and see if those players are attainable targets. However, what they could bring is the same influence King had all those years ago, hopefully ensuring the Blues’ League One tenure is brief.