KEY POINTS
- To prevent a catastrophe in January, Birmingham City needs to hold onto Jordan James.
- To keep their attacking threat, the team is hoping Fulham won’t recall Jay Stansfield.
- Birmingham has gained much-needed confidence ahead of the hectic holiday season with their recent victory over Cardiff City.
Birmingham City has a few weeks left in the January transfer window, so they’ll be working hard to put themselves in the best possible position on February 1st.
The Blues have not been playing well lately, but a victory at Cardiff City on the road in the middle of the week will boost the team’s morale just in time for the hectic holiday season.
If Wayne Rooney’s team is to have a successful second half of the season, they cannot afford to lose any of their talented players.
| Birmingham City’s last Championship finishes over the last five seasons | |
|---|---|
| Season | Position |
| 2018/19 | 17th |
| 2019/20 | 20th |
| 2020/21 | 18th |
| 2021/22 | 20th |
| 2022/23 | 17th |
Here are the two transfer scenarios Birmingham City cannot let happen next month…
Birmingham City cannot sell Jordan James in January
Welsh International, aged 19 James’s performances on the international scene have drawn the attention of several clubs in recent times.
Alan Nixon reported in April that teams including Bologna and Leicester City were interested in James. The Sun and Birmingham Mail reported in the summer that Everton, Blackburn Rovers, and Italian team Leece were interested.
Whether or not Nikola Zigic was a successful big-money acquisition for Birmingham City is up for discussion.
The midfielder struggled to get playing time under former manager John Eustace, but since Wayne Rooney took over, he has become a more important member of the team.
Playing under Rooney has always been a favorite of James’, who told the Birmingham Mail last month that “individually, it suits me a lot better.” I feel most comfortable getting on the ball on the half-turn and playing those passes through; it really suits me. We want to get it into the midfielders and the two tens and punish teams.
“It has been really simple for me because all I ever did growing up was learn how to play football on the deck and emulate Man City’s style of play. I’ve found the transition to be rather easy, but some people have had difficulty since they have played a certain manner for a long time.
Fans of Birmingham should feel relieved about this. For the Blues, losing the young player in January would be disastrous.
Birmingham City must hope Jay Stansfield is not recalled by Fulham
The Fulham loanee is well-liked by both the coaching staff and the team as he has emerged as one of the Blues’ primary goal threats this season.
Concerns had been raised that the Cottagers might call up Stansfield in January to assist strengthen their attack because Fulham had been among the division’s lowest scorers and had struggled to score goals early in the season.
Stansfield’s potential recall next month appears to have diminished, though, since the West London team appeared to have found their scoring touch in recent weeks, winning two straight 5-1 games in the Premier League.
Any club that signs players on loan is aware of the possibility of them being called back. By the beginning of February, Birmingham will be hoping that Stansfield stays with the Blues and that Fulham keeps scoring goals.
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