Birmingham City has made four transfers this summer since Chris Davies was appointed manager.
Chris Davies is currently busy both on and off the training ground, working with technical director Craig Gardner to strengthen Birmingham City’s squad.
The Blues are still severely thin in key places, and Davies confirmed following Saturday’s crushing pre-season defeat to SC Paderborn 07 that’several’ new faces are required. He told BirminghamLive: “I wouldn’t give you a specific number, but we need several at the very least.” We certainly only have 12-13 senior players with us, which tells you something. In a 25-man squad, you will need a couple more.
Juninho Bacuna and Manny Longelo are expected to leave the team as well. Blues accepted a proposal from Turkish side Sivasspor for Bacuna ten days ago, but another unnamed club is believed to have entered the race since then. Bacuna will select where he sees his future.
Meanwhile, Longelo is being pursued by League One rivals Barnsley. Longelo could go after the Blues signed Hearts left-back Alex Cochrane. Hearts manager Steven Naismith has announced that Cochrane, 24, has gone to England to finalize his deal.
A direct replacement for Bacuna is unnecessary considering the Blues’ offensive options, but the squad requires midfield reinforcements. Josh Laurent, who led Stoke City in the Championship last season, is thought to be a player of interest. However, it is unclear whether the Blues would be ready to satisfy Laurent’s salary demands, or whether the 29-year-old would play in League One.
Laurent is a more aggressive, powerful midfielder than Paik Seung-ho and Jordan James, though all are excellent runners in and out of possession. Davies must also clarify their future plans.
Paik and James have international futures to preserve, and League One football may be detrimental to them. Krystian Bielik, a Poland international, made a similar decision and stayed at St Andrews.
Davies expects Paik and James will follow Bielik’s lead. “As I said when I came, I want to keep the best players and move on the players that I don’t think are right for this club then bring in ones I think can add to us,” claimed the manager of the Blues.
Without having to directly replace Paik or James, the Blues can focus on recruiting defenders. Bielik will play centre-back this season, giving the Blues two senior options, the other being Dion Sanderson. Following the failure to sign Dutchman Mike Eerdhuijzen, the Blues need two more centre-backs, one of whom should be left-footed.
After Cochrane, two center defenders, and a midfielder, a striker is needed. The Blues need a younger challenger for Alfie May, since Lukas Jutkiewicz is set to be played infrequently for the second season in a row.
Right-back is another position where the Blues could improve. As things stand, Byron Pendleton is getting an opportunity to fill in for Ethan Laird and could stay with the Blues throughout the preseason.
