Signing Tesche gives Blues Central Strength

The signing of Robert Tesche gives Blues added strength in depth through the middle of the park. With Stephen Gleeson, Maikel Kieftenbeld and David Davis already vying for starting places come August, the German will offer another option to Gary Rowett.

Whether Tesche finds it as easy to walk into the team as he did during his loan spell back in March 2015 remains to be seen, but his signing certainly gives Blues more solidity.

It`s unclear what sort of player the 29 year-old is, though. I`d suggest he is an old fashioned kind of central midfielder that is not limited to a holding role or a more advanced one. He`s an orthodox player who isn`t prolific in scoring goals, tackling or passing – but is a constant seven-out-of-ten and offers a work rate not to be sniffed at.

Stephen Gleeson is a massive part of Rowett`s plans for next season and could be partnered with any one of the other three. But depending on opposition and form, all three offer slightly differing styles which could give the manager a headache, albeit a good headache.

Kieftenbeld is the rugged, honest, in-your-face, spoiler. His no nonsense approach summarises perfectly the reason he adapted to the English game so quickly. Davis is more of what I`d call a ‘defensive` unit, despite Rowett`s tendancy to push him further ahead of the pack. Gleeson is the neat, tidy, footballer of the midfield and uses the ball very effectively.

Tesche could suit playing alongside either of the three. But it`s important for him to find his identity sooner rather than later if he is to nail down a regular starting place.