Birmingham City transfer window state of play: Two ins before Derby County, more outs to follow Harlee Dean

Birmingham City look set to be incredibly busy between now and the end of the transfer window with Lee Bowyer working tirelessly to get players in and out of the club.

Taylor Richards, Onel Hernandez and Teden Mengi have all linked up with the Blues so far this January whilst Juan Familia-Castillo, Riley McGree and as of Wednesday, Harlee Dean have all gone the other way.

January is always a difficult window at the best of times but due to the way of the world as we near the end of the covid pandemic, this one has been even tougher.

Add to that the complete charade that Blues are facing under their current ownership and you have to tip your hat to Bowyer and Craig Gardner for the amount of work they have been able to get done.

Here’s the state of play as the window nears its’ end.

Ins

Three loans have already been brought in this month taking the total at the club to four if you include the injured Tahith Chong.

Five loan signings are allowed at any given time in a matchday squad so this leaves room for one more addition of the sort at Blues.

That addition is said to be all but done and looks to be Nottingham Forest striker Lyle Taylor.

Bowyer knows Taylor well having managed him during his time at Charlton Athletic and it was well publicised that the club tried bringing him in during the summer.

It was a move that obviously didn’t end up developing, mainly due to former Forest manager Chris Hughton wanting to keep him around but since his sacking, he has fallen rapidly down the pecking order.

Taylor scored 32 goals in 63 appearances under Bowyer at Charlton but only managed seven in 57 for Forest. If he can rediscover a bit of that old form it should be a shrewd addition but even if not, it’s a no risk move for Blues who can pat him on the back and wish him well at the end of the season.

Juninho Bacuna of Rangers is the other man widely speculated to be on his way at St Andrew’s but this deal would be a permanent one.

Bacuna, 24, is a right footed central midfielder that can also play out on the right of the midfield. The Gers spent over £2million to bring him to Ibrox in the summer but it just hasn’t worked for him up in Scotland.

He is a young player with evident talent, he just doesn’t show it consistently enough.

At just 24-years-old he already has over 100 appearances in the Championship for Huddersfield Town, whom he scored 12 goals for and provided nine assists. That in itself shows that he has some caliber behind him.

With how highly Onel Hernandez spoke of Bowyer in terms of helping him have confidence and belief in himself, it’s a move that could really work in favour of both Bacuna and Blues.

Outs

Club captain Harlee Dean was finally shown the door on Wednesday afternoon when it was confirmed that he had joined League One side Sheffield Wednesday on loan for the remainder of the season.

Bowyer however hinted that he may not be the only one exiting the club.

Speaking after the 2-2 draw with Peterborough United he spoke of how Birmingham City ‘needs change’ or they will be in the same position year in and year out.

It’s quite evident that he wants to get some high earners off the books.

Left-back Kristian Pedersen was hinted at leaving earlier in the window but talk of that has since quietened. If there was one player I’d point at to who Bowyer was discussing with his cryptic talk though, it would have been Pedersen.

Fran Villalba who is actually a Blues player in case you had forgotten, is another that looks almost definitely to be on his way in a permanent deal.

Reports in Spain this week suggest that Sporting Gijon have offered a fee in the region of €400,000 for the midfielder with Blues currently mulling the offer over.

It’s a respectable fee considering it’s a man that will probably never suit up for Blues

Villalba has spent the first half of this season on loan with Gijon, making 27 appearances and providing four goals and four assists.

Areas of concern

The important thing for me here is that Bowyer does look to be addressing the main areas of concern in this Blues side.

There needs to be more creativity in the midfield and Bacuna certainly has the ability to provide a bit of magic the team so desperately lack.

Taylor Richards is yet to feature due to an ongoing ankle problem but he alongside Bacuna in the attacking positions and things are starting to look a bit more rosy.

What the new additions should do, especially in midfield, is allow Bowyer to play different formations and mix the team up dependent on opposition.

This season so far has been a disaster watching square pegs fill in round holes, at least with some reinforcements through the door - that should alter a little bit.

Something that still comes as a concern though is the lack of presence in the middle of the park. There isn’t a player you could point at in that Blues squad that you are confident is going to grab a game by the scruff of the neck and take control.

A dominant defensive midfielder that can break up play and allow the flair players to get forward without fear of being caught out would be the priority following the arrival of Taylor and Bacuna.

Whether that’s even remotely possible in this window is another thing altogether but moving forward, it simply needs addressing.

If the team are serious about progress, an upgrade to Ryan Woods, Ivan Sunjic and/or Gary Gardner is a must.

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