Dream free agent signings for Birmingham City including Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City gems

Birmingham City stormed to the League One title this past season following their relegation 12 months ago. They smashed the record points tally to return to the Championship at the first time of asking. Chris Davies’ side went up along with Wrexham and Charlton Athletic in the end.

The Blues have ambitious plans to get to the Premier League in the near future and will want to show what they are all about in the second tier. They have the chance to bring in some new players this summer to further boost their squad. With that in mind, here is a look at some free agents who they should target over the next couple of months...

Tyrhys Dolan

Dolan continues to mull over his Blackburn Rovers future. His deal with the Lancashire outfit expires at the end of June and he is due to become available. He has been offered fresh terms by Rovers but he is yet to put pen-to-paper on an extension.

The 23-year-old is weighing up his options in the game and would be ideal for Birmingham if they were able to land him. He would give them more competition and depth at the top end of the pitch. The forward would also give them something different to call upon in game.

The Manchester-born man had spells in the academies at Manchester City and Burnley before linking up with Preston North End. He was then loaned out to Clitheroe in non-league to get some experience under his belt. Dolan linked up with Blackburn back in 2020 and he has since made 211 appearances in all competitions to date, scoring 26 goals, seven of which came in the last campaign.

Harry Darling

Birmingham have been linked with a move for the Swansea City man over recent times. The centre-back will become a free agent in a matter of weeks. He hasn’t committed his future to the Swans yet and is mulling over what to do next.

Darling is a defender who likes to play out from the back and he would suit the Blues’ style of play. Snapping him up for nothing would be an absolute no-brainer and that would free up funds to put towards other players in the market. He is a man in-demand though and is said to have had ‘lots’ of different offers over recent times. Norwich are in the frame for his signature too and their new manager Liam Manning, who worked with him at MK Dons, has said: "I don’t want to put a number on that (how many signings), but I have done my best to assess the squad and we know which positions we're going for. I had a good time with Harry [Darling] a few years ago, I'm sure he'll have a lot of offers but I think he'd be a great fit."

Harry Toffolo

Nottingham Forest signed him back in 2022 after their promotion to the top flight. Prior to his transfer to the City Ground, he caught the eye playing for Huddersfield Town in the Football League. The Norwich academy graduate is available and is likely to attract attention, with Sunderland and Rangers both credited with an interest.

He has decent pedigree behind him and would be perfect for Birmingham. The full-back likes to get up and down the left flank of defence. He is vastly experienced and would be a useful person to have in and around the dressing room.

The Blues currently have Alex Cochrane and Lee Buchanan as their options in Toffolo’s position. Therefore, if they were to bring in the Hertfordshire-born man, they would probably need to sell the latter. Cochrane has made a positive impression since joining from Hearts but some more competition wouldn’t be a bad idea.