Birmingham City showed no signs of fatigue or complacency in the FA Cup on Saturday as Chris Davies’ Blues secured a 2-1 win over Lincoln City at a frosty St. Andrew’s.
Away from this cup distraction, Birmingham also sit right at the top of the League One table on a mammoth 53 points, with an instant return to the Championship looking likely at this moment in time.
But, nothing is final until that dream is officially confirmed, with this January transfer window giving Davies an apt opportunity to tweak here and there with his side to add in some top-quality additions to make his high-flying team even more formidable.
The Birmingham boss will just pray this window is as successful as his first one at the helm, with the ex-Tottenham Hotspur figure arriving on the scene keen to build his own promotion-winning team.
Birmingham's best summer business
The popular Blues manager signed off on a bumper 17 new purchases in the summer, with many going on to be rip-roaring successes in their fresh environment.
Jay Stansfield is the obvious success story, with the statement buy going on to score 12 goals in League One action from 17 clashes to date after putting pen to paper on a permanent stay.
Away from the flashier signings in the striker department, Birmingham have also struck gold in terms of some left-field purchases in defence and in the middle of the park, particularly in the capture of Christoph Klarer who was once plying his trade in Germany.
Now, the ex-SV Darmstadt 98 man is a tough, no-nonsense battler on English shores, with a ridiculous 6.7 duels won on average per third-tier contest.
This left-field approach paying off could result in the Blues picking up another gem from Germany very soon, with the player in question giving Davies another option centrally.
Birmingham pursuing deal for £2k-p/w star
As per a report last week by Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Birmingham are looking at clinching a deal for 1. FC Heidenheim star Lennard Maloney this January, with three other Bundesliga clubs also interested.
But, with how seamless Klarer has found adapting to the pressures of the English game, Maloney might well fancy his chances of starring in an unknown location in League One too.
The American has notched up 85 appearances for Heidenheim to date, with one of those appearances seeing him star against Chelsea in the UEFA Conference League in November by successfully winning five duels, albeit losing 2-0.
He could well give Birmingham something different in the middle of the park with Paik Seung-Ho and Tomoki Iwata both similar in terms of their composed nature on the ball, whilst Maloney excels at doing more of the dirty work away from spraying the ball about competently.
Games played
11
19
Goals scored
0
5
Assists
0
1
Touches*
35.5
73.5
Accurate passes*
17.6 (72%)
54.0 (86%)
Tackles*
1.8
1.2
Ball recoveries*
3.6
4.5
Clearances*
3.4
1.1
Total duels won*
3.7
3.2
As can be seen looking at the table above, it’s clear the former Celtic midfielder is far more comfortable in his duties in helping out with attacks with five goals and one assist tallied up.
On the contrary, the Birmingham target stars more when rolling up his sleeves up and getting stuck in with more tackles and duels won on average this season, with his ability to play in the heart of defence also a major plus point for Davies to consider.
Davies will know he needs a substantial squad in order to get this team over the line in their quest for promotion, and with Maloney only earning £2.3k-per-week at Heidenheim currently, this feels like a shrewd acquisition to make to boost his camp.
Winter transfer window 2025: All the latest deals from England and Scotland
Find out who is on the move this winter with our comprehensive list of done deals from the Premier League, EFL and Scottish Premiership.
ByStephan GeorgiouFeb 3, 2025
