With the January transfer window just weeks away what can fans of Birmingham City expect? Will there be a clearance sale with players leaving left right and centre or a few wise additions to add depth and quality to a team fighting to survive in a league with little room for error? With pressure to keep finance as low as possible from the board Rowett will have to walk through the transfer window as it is a minefield.
With a small budget Rowett will need to use the time he has spent with the squad wisely so he only invests in the right areas of the squad. With a lack of options going forwards in terms of not only a creative midfielder and striker who can score with only one or two chances presented to them Rowett needs to find a striker who can find the back of the net. Whilst Clayton Donaldson has been scoring it is a general belief amongst fans he should have more goals to his name with easy chances being missed by the 30 year old striker. Whilst Shinnie has come into his own since the arrival of Rowett when he was injured for the Blackpool game blues looked lifeless up front with no creative presence finding space in and around the box. Another area for concern would be the left back as although Grounds has looked reasonable in this role he has been found out on several occasions this season leading to extra work for Randolph.
With that in mind Rowett would be wise to look at the talents already at the club in the reserves and youth set up before spending money to bring a new person to the club and onto the wage bill. With youngster Koby Arthur impressing in his time on loan at Cheltenham bagging 3 goals in 7 appearances and being used as a striker and a midfielder just behind the striker the young man from Ghana could be worth a chance in the league. With Arthur being used in the league a few times already this season having flashes of skill but seemingly not big enough to hold his own when faced with physical opposition, it may be too soon for the youngster to star for Birmingham like those who have followed his growth as a player know he can.
Next to be considered for a promotion into the midfield would be Reece Brown who has spent time on loan at Notts County despite being cut short by injury this year. In his 4 games for the League 1 side Brown had impressed in his role as a play maker with Brown being described as: ‘reveled in his role as number ten and played with real maturity. Was a real threat whenever he received the ball and came close to scoring with a header’ by the Nottingham Post. With this is mind it would be a wise move before the window to give the 18 year old a chance before January to see if he can step up to the required level now or if it would be better to bring in a more experienced option in January.
In terms of the left back role Mitch Hancox who featured heavily last season would be an intelligent pick as he has already had experience at this level last season. With a game based on pace, power and aggression Hancox is a strong option going forwards to provide over lapping runs stretching opposition defences and pinning them back. Whilst not training with the first team under now departed Lee Clark there is a feeling amongst fans Hancox should be given a few weeks with the main team before being chanced for a run of games to see how he fits in. A different way to reintroduce the young man from England would be to give him a run in cup matches or time off the bench when Grounds begins to tire.
Failing to promote these players to the first team Rowett will have to turn the transfer market and search for players to add to the competition for places and bring that extra bit of quality to the club. First to be considered is a player let go at the start of the season Wade Elliot who has so far pulled the strings for Bristol City as they push for promotion and currently sit top of the league. It must be said Elliot never set the world alight but was always responsible on the ball and produced goals and assists during his time at the club. The question is not can Birmingham afford him but would the player want to leave a club winning matches and pushing for not only promotion but the title itself.
In regards to a defensive option the current on loan centre back Michael Morrison has stated a desire to stay at the club the Birmingham Mail in an interview saying: “I would like to stick around, the lads have been really good, I have enjoyed myself. Charlton have made it clear there`s not really a future back there for me. I have enjoyed it here and hopefully the results will stay the same and it will be a really good season for us.” With Morrison playing with a no nonsense style stopping attacks and clearing his lines well he has quickly became a player held in high regard by fans and his manager shown by his constant section since his arrival. If failing in an attempt to sign the towering center back attention should be turned to out of favor Cardiff defender Ben Turner who would be a good addition to the defense to prevent constant attacks on Darren Randolph as he looks to rack up clean sheets. (Morrison has since signed for the club however interest in Ben Turner continues)
A player who may well be on the way out could be Matt Green who has been injured for a total of 13 months and not looking likely to return any time soon after suffering damaged cruciate ligaments. With no sign of a comeback on the cards it may be a better short term decision to agree a mutual termination of his contract and have a verbal agreement if he can regain fitness offer him a trial or short term deal.
A second player with no future at the club is Olly Lee. After making sporadic appearances for the team last season Lee has been frozen out all season this year and with no recall to the team likely it may be time up for Lee at Birmingham. In all fairness to Lee he did try his best but he just doesn`t seem good enough for this level and he is down the pecking order at blues. Gary Rowett has a small enough budget at his disposal as it is and simply can`t afford to keep players who won`t feature or add something different to the team. So don`t be at all surprised to see Lee leaving the club either in January or in the summer.
Birmingham City may be without last season`s top scorer by the time February rolls round as with the current wingers Gray and Cotterill playing in great form currently. With these two playing well Lee Novak may be the man to go with a starting place in the first team looking unlikely. Former manager Lee Clark may be set to sign his former striker as the pair have worked together at both Birmingham and before that Huddersfield and reportedly have a good working relationship between them. So a starting place in the Championship would still be open for Novak should Clark pursue his former player.
Mentioned earlier in the article Mitch Hancox has been a man frozen out of first team football and could be on his way out of St Andrews in the New Year. Well at least for a while. If Gary Rowett is going to use Jonathan Grounds as his first choice left back it may be in his and the players` best interest if Hancox was loaned out to a club in a league below Birmingham. It wouldn`t be for lack of quality but to get him first team football and if the club could negotiate a recall option into the deal all the better.
The final man who maybe on the move is the player who is being linked with all the Premier Leagues top teams after making a big splash this season so far. I am of course on about Demarai Gray. The speedy young winger was introduced by Lee Clark into the first team this season and has become a regular with his standout performances often being the bright spark for Birmingham. Throughout the season so far Gray has been scouted by England`s top clubs with Manchester United scouts being spotted watching the youngster on several occasions. If Gray is to leave in January I would not be surprised to see him loaned back to blues for the rest of the season. This would be the best move for both Birmingham and Gray as the club get to keep a quality player for a while longer whilst Gray can keep playing first team football and receive a higher standard of coaching then what is available to him now due to financial constraints of the club.
All in all I expect January to be a hectic month with deals and speculation rumbling on till the deadline has past. A player who I feel needs to leave the most will be Mitch Hancox as if he can`t be granted his wish of first team action it would be best to keep him on the clubs books and send him out for a short while to play matches for a team in a lower league. A player who I would most like to join is Wade Elliot as he has experience at this level knows the group of players at the club and is a good option when crafting attacking moves. In short Birmingham fans need to prepare themselves for a frantic 31 days when January dawns.
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