Gary Rowett was fully aware of the Birmingham City transfer link before to his return

Birmingham City midfielder Jordan James was the subject of transfer speculation from Italian side Atalanta during the January window.

Gary Rowett is well aware of the transfer talk surrounding Birmingham City phenom Jordan James before to his arrival, and after working with him for the past several weeks, he sees no reason to believe those links were incorrect.

Teenager James caught up with Rowett when he returned a little later than many of his teammates, while representing Wales in their Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs against Finland and Poland; defeat to the latter on penalties eliminated James’ chances of playing in the finals in Germany this summer.

The midfielder, who has eight goals this season, earned his 100th Blues appearance on Easter Monday in a win over Preston North End at St Andrew’s, an impressive milestone given his young age. Rowett did, however, admit that he had a conversation with James after hauling him off after less than an hour to underline that he had done nothing wrong.

James was linked with a move to Serie A club Atalanta, who challenged the Blues with a series of bids that were frequently refused, and the topic is expected to resurface in the summer. In the meanwhile, Rowett wants James to finish the season well and help lead the club away from relegation.

“He’s a talented young player,” Rowett stated. “He has had a unique season in many respects. From a distance, I’ve noticed that there is speculation surrounding him, but this is because he has done a number of things successfully and demonstrated his quality. If you do well on the field for this squad, as we’ve seen in the past, good things will happen for you. That’s the primary focus.

“It may have been a little harsh to take him off earlier; I’ve discussed it with him; when you’re the only one to come off during that time, you may wonder ‘have I done something wrong?'” It was surely not that. He’s such a brilliant player that I expect his performances to be top-tier in every game, which may be a bit unfair. He’s 19, but that’s what he’s demonstrated, and he must aspire to deliver those performances.

“He needs to finish the season really, really strong. He’s had a good season and he’s had some good experiences internationally. He’s a great talent but you have to finish the season off and be one of the main players that the team looks to in big moments.”