'Next 24 hours' - Birmingham City tantalisingly close to January signing as 'deal agreed' for seven-goal gem
The latest Championship transfer news as Birmingham City are set to seal their second deal of the January window.
Birmingham City are reportedly on the verge of completing their second signing of the January transfer window after a breakthrough in negotiations.
Blues, eager to bolster their attacking options for the rest of the season, are trying to get their business done efficiently. The pressure has been mounting on head coach Chris Davies after an inconsistent first half to 2025/26, so new additions could help Blues turn the tide and shift closer to their target of play-off qualification.
New signings are never guaranteed to be a quick fix - or a fix at all - but they can often provide a boost around the place to help a team out of a slump. Birmingham have won their last two games against Cambridge United and Coventry City, but neither were overly convincing as they were by 3-2 scorelines. Before that, Blues were winless in seven.
Birmingham ‘agree’ permanent deal for winger
After securing the services of Philadelphia Union left wing-back Kai Wagner, Blues turned their attention to Gambia international winger Abdoulie Manneh. According to GiveMeSport, Birmingham have struck a deal with Swedish club Mjallby to bring Manneh to St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.
Manneh, signed by Mjallby after he made his Gambia debut aged just 17, has enjoyed a breakthrough couple of seasons in Sweden. The now 21-year-old had a decent 2024 campaign as he proved to be a handy option off the bench, but 2025 was when he shone as he became a regular starter and scored seven goals in 28 Allsvenskan appearances.
As the Scandinavian leagues typically run from spring to autumn, Manneh hasn’t been in action for a couple of months. As a result, the Gambian would have to get up to speed and may not be able to make an instant impact for Blues.
How will Manneh fit in at Birmingham?
Davies revealed last month that Birmingham were not particularly optimistic that Liverpool would allow winger Lewis Koumas to see out his season-long loan due to a lack of minutes. The Reds are yet to pull the trigger on recalling Koumas, but it seems likely and so Blues have been working behind the scenes to land a replacement.
But would Manneh get more regular game time than Koumas has been having? Well, in short, he probably wouldn’t - at least initially - as Patrick Roberts and Demarai Gray have effectively locked down the two wide spots in B9. There’s also the fitness aspect, with Manneh lacking match sharpness thanks to the Allsvenskan calendar.
Manneh’s arrival will be a boost when he does get fit, however, as he offers plenty of pace, power and versatility. The attacker is predominantly a left winger but he’s capable of playing on the other flank or even as a centre-forward.
The youngster proved throughout 2025 that he knows where the back of the net is, and he also turned creator a few times, notching three assists. It’s always a risk bringing in relatively unknown entities, but Birmingham could be onto something with this signing. It all depends on the fee, really, and that’s undisclosed.