Opinion: Is Zach Clough Right For Birmingham City?

Zach Clough, despite being short in stature, has certainly made a massive impact this season for his club Bolton Wanderers. The League One side are looking to bounce back into the Championship and they have a very good chance of doing so. Josh Vela has been impressive for the Trotters in recent weeks but it is Clough who we have been linked with the most.

We have to get used to being linked with players now though. With the appointment of Zola as the new manager, the board have made it clear that they trust him to spend their money wisely in January and therefore many agents are deliberately linking their clients with a move to Stan’s in order to get a better deal at their current club. We have to be wary with speculation, whether they can be trusted or not, but Zach Clough has been linked and I do believe that he would be a great signing.

According to Sky Sports, Clough has managed 7 goals in the league this season which is just over a goal per game. He is consistently scoring against a plethora of opposition which shows that he is clinical and that he can adapt his game to whatever style of defender he faces. He has a low centre of gravity so often looks to dribble beyond his man but he is also very quick thinking. He passes the ball and rather than waiting stationary thinking that his job his done, he is on the move and looking to receive another pass. It is simple but it is noticeable and improves the team a lot.

Do we need him though? In my personal opinion, yes. I am pleased that we have added to the strike force this year and we are getting goals albeit some games we haven’t looked like scoring. But I think that Che has been a wonderful addition to the side. He adds pace and strength as well as an eye for goal. He is a perfect partner for either Lukas or Clayton but that’s the thing, it has to be either one or the other. Both Lukas and Donaldson are target men who can hold the ball up and therefore are too similar. So we do need a striker who can offer support to a target man.

Whether he is available or not is another question. I would suggest that it is highly unlikely because he has a contract with Bolton and his allegiances have always been with Bolton. But football is not as simple as loyalty these days; it seems to be about money. However, we don’t have the money to pull in players such as Zach Clough.