Nicky Ajose, Sone Aluko and Tom Bradshaw are all names of strikers linked with a move to Blues. They all seem to fit the description of what Gary Rowett is looking for – a player with athleticism, who can play as a striker or out wide, whilst adding goals to the team.
That completely rules out Danny Graham, whose name was touted about earlier in the summer.
Rowett told the Birmingham Mail that he`s not seeking a like-for-like replacement for Jon Toral who has returned to Arsenal after a successful loan spell which saw him clean up at the awards evening. Diego Fabbrini will fit into that ‘number ten` role.
What the Blues manager is looking for is someone to play off Clayton Donaldson and someone to add a creative edge to the forward line. Any of the three names mentioned at the start of this article would do nicely – despite Swindon Town playing hardball with a number of clubs regarding Ajose.
But reading Rowett`s comments, my conclusion is that Aluko would be the best fit. He is athletic, strong and quick; he scores a fair few goals and can play in a number of roles. Throw into the mixer the fact that he is a free agent and Rowett could possibly find what he`s looking for without having a significant financial outlay.
What money is available could then be spent on other key areas such as the centre of defence, full back or central midfield.
Aluko would be a great asset to Blues. His pace would fill the void left by Demarai Gray`s exit to Leicester City in January and any deal would come with an emotional tie as Aluko would, effectively, be returning to where it all began.
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