An enormous January lies in wait for Birmingham City

Eleven days stand between Gianfranco Zola and the all important delve into the transfer market. It’s difficult to ascertain exactly who is on the Italian’s wanted list but the importance of the forthcoming window is not to be underestimated.

Zola will be backed by a transfer kitty that won’t buy him the world but is significantly larger than the pot available to his predecessors. To that end, the money must be invested wisely.

Getting it wrong is not an option if Zola has play-off ambitions for his new club. He’s already spoken of his intention to test the waters of his old club, Chelsea, for a loan deal or two. That would be a start, as would getting the Lukas Jutkiewicz deal over the line.

Jutkiewicz could be a focal point of this new Blues team. If Zola succeeds in bringing in enough quality to provide him with the sort of service he thrives on, he could partly carry the burden  of Blues’ goal scoring problems.

Balance is something that has to be addressed too. Zola can’t flood the dressing room with new faces and disrupt the harmony and team spirit that still seems to exist. Yet without added quality and depth in the ranks, a play-off adventure will be unlikely.

A fully fit and firing Diego Fabbrini can be as good as any new signing and Che Adams should have a bigger part to play too.

I don’t envy Zola’s position. The expectations dictate that he must improve this team. January is imperative to any lingering hopes.