Latest Birmingham City news from BirminghamLive takes a look at the club’s transfer business to date and what’s to come
This transfer window was never going to be a walk in the park for Birmingham City.
Messrs Gardner and Eustace have a strict budget, defined by the dread of breaching the EFL’s Financial Fair Play regulations, and they must stick to it. We, as journalists and supporters, only know part of the financial mess that is currently being corrected.
We are almost at the dawn of a new era, with Tom Wagner and Knighthead about to move into Blues’ buildings. But the club is still in the patching up phase and won’t be able to forget about Xuandong Ren and the misguided contracts he awarded until most of them expire next summer.
Gardner and his newly-formed recruitment team of Frank McParland and Joe Carnall – who returned to the club in January after a period working under ex-Blues boss Gary Rowett away from St Andrew’s – have made positive inroads this summer, but there is still a long way to go
Blues snapped up Tyler Roberts, Koji Miyoshi, Kevin Long, Krystian Bielik and Ethan Laird before many of their Championship rivals had even settled in the starting blocks. BirminghamLive understands the initial fees for Roberts, Bielik and Laird total less than £1.5million.
For three players with high ceilings, that represents sensible business on paper – although Roberts and Bielik do come with chequered injury records. Blues view the signing of Laird, 21, from Manchester United as a significant coup.
Kevin Long has proved he is a dependable option and in Japanese winger Koji Miyoshi, Blues hope they have unearthed a gem. Positive reports about Miyoshi have been received from Blues’ training camp in Murcia this week and supporters will get their first glimpse of him soon.
It has admittedly been a quiet two weeks since that early flurry of signings. Talks have continued with Wolves over a deal for Dion Sanderson, but there is a gap to be bridged between what Blues are prepared to pay and the £2.25m asking price.
At that price Sanderson would become Blues’ marquee summer signing. Many would argue, Eustace included, that a proven 23-year-old centre-back and potential future captain is worth the outlay. Everyone inside Blues’ bubble is mindful of overstepping the FFP mark, though.
Blues’ pursuit of Sanderson could be helped by the sale of Tahith Chong, whose future is increasingly uncertain after he was omitted from the squad that travelled to Spain on Sunday. Luton Town are among the teams interested in signing Chong from Blues
Ex-Blackpool winger Keshi Anderson is currently on trial, and Blues have shown interest in Werder Bremen’s Oliver Burke. Replacements for Chong are clearly already being assessed.
Blues passed on Kane Wilson before he joined Derby County, electing not to pay Bristol City their £250,000 asking price. That just shows how tight Blues’ budget is in comparison to previous years.
Nevertheless, insiders are more confident than they were in previous years too. For far too long Blues have been viewed as a soft touch by negotiators and that is simply not the case anymore.
The definition of ‘club friendly contract’ was lost on Blues under Ren and Co. Blues aren’t willing to stretch away from their sensible framework now.
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