Birmingham City's League One rivals swoop for once-prolific striker with 219 EFL goals
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Birmingham City have been quiet over the first hours of transfer deadline day, but while St. Andrew’s stands quiet, City’s League One rivals are making some interesting moves of their own.
Mid-table Mansfield Town are set to make one of the most eyebrow-raising deals of the day so far, according to reports which suggest that they are on the verge of agreeing a deal which would bring EFL legend Jordan Rhodes to Field Mill from Blackpool.
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Hide AdThe 34-year-old striker has been one of the most prolific forwards in football league history, netting over 200 goals during a career which has seen him star for Blackburn Rovers, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday among many others.
According to a new story from Football League World, the striker will now continue his career with Mansfield after he fell down the pecking order at Blackpool. Rhodes scored an impressive 15 goals in 29 league games on loan with the Tangerines last season, but since signing permanently in the summer the veteran has played 18 League One games without troubling the scoresheet.
Rhodes among moves made by rivals
Rhodes, who has scored seven career goals against Birmingham City but hasn’t registered in a game against the Blues since the 2016/17 season, is among a number of players making potentially significant moves across League One.
Promotion rivals Wrexham have already broken their club transfer record to sign striker Sam Smith for a reported £2m from Reading, a move which could have a knock-on effect on Birmingham’s promotion chance. Wrexham are currently sat third in the table, eight points behind Birmingham, but may now have some extra firepower up front after bagging a forward who has already scored 11 League One goals this season.
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Hide AdElsewhere, Wycombe Wanderers have appointed former Birmingham academy coach Mike Dodds as their new head coach following the departure of Matt Bloomfield, who took up the vacant post at Luton Town in the Championship.
Birmingham expected to be busy despite quiet start
While Birmingham City may not have made a splash so far on deadline day, there are expected to be significant moves made later on as the Blues push to get crucial deals over the line ahead of a battle to earn promotion back to the second tier.
Birmingham World understands that the priority for Chris Davies’ side is a left-back, with South Korea international Lee Myung-Jae among the players linked with a move to St. Andrew’s.
Birmingham currently occupy a promising position, and enjoy a four-point lead at the top of League One following Saturday’s 2-1 win over Rotherham United. The Blues also have two games in hand over second-placed Wycombe Wanderers, but are still on the look out for new recruits to bolster Davies’ options ahead of the run-in.
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Hide AdBirmingham are also in “advanced talks” to sign Sheffield United striker Kurtis Havenhand on loan until the end of the season as they search for more goalscoring options.
In other news, Birmingham City co-owner Tom Wagner has outlined his vision for a new £3bn stadium which has been described as “The Wembley of the Midlands”.
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