Birmingham City - A Transfer Window Review

It’s been a good start to the season for Birmingham City. Six games unbeaten in all competitions and 7th in the championship table with one game in hand, Gary Rowett seems to be working his magic again. With the transfer window now shut, it’s time to review the signings Blues have made which have contributed to this early season run of form, and see if there are any additions that could be made when the loan window re-opens in a couple of weeks.

Article by Rick Lopez

With the financial turmoil of Birmingham City well documented, and years of bargain basement freebies being signed, it was surprising to see us actually go out and spend money on two players: Maikel Kieftenbeld, a tough tackling CDM from Groningen in Holland, where he was captain, and Nikolai Brock-Madsen, a young striker from Danish side Randers. Of the two, Kieftenbeld has made a real impact, breaking up play effectively, and bringing a physicality that a team needs in the championship, and certainly something our team lacked.

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We’ve brought in our fair share of freebies too, Tomasz Kuszczak has arrived to replace highly rated goalkeeper Darren Randolph who joined West Ham, and has really impressed, especially with a world-class fingertip save against Derby to save us a point. Jon Toral has also arrived on loan from Arsenal, and has scored two goals so far to cement his position in the team ahead of players such as Andy Shinnie.

The fact that these signings have been so successful stems from the approach of the manager and his scouting team. Whilst many fans would have liked bucket loads of signings arriving every day, the club is simply not in the financial position to achieve that, and so Rowett has had to be extra diligent when scouting future signings. This has not only saved money, but also increased the quality of the new recruits, meaning we get more for our money.

However, the Blues squad is still extremely small compared to other championship sides, and the fear is that when injuries hit, it will affect our side more than others. At centre back, for example, we currently only have four players who can play there, but one is our first team left back and the other is a 36 year old whose legs have gone. Therefore, when the emergency loan window opens in a couple of weeks, I would expect Rowett to go out and get another defender.

Nevertheless, with a solid transfer window behind us, and a good run of form, fans are becoming more optimistic of a potential play-off push. Lets hope that when we face Bristol City next Saturday, more points will be on the cards, but not before we’ve gone out and got that centre back!

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