BRUM IS BLUE!

The transfer window is open and what is anticipated to be a busy summer for Blues can begin. Rumours are flying around galore and while I will each week look at pretty much all of them I think it’s got to be pointed out that the new owners are quite good at doing transfer business without it being leaked out too much, this makes me think that any rumours should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Blues have already secured their first new addition of the summer in the form of Phil Neumann, having made the deal for the German to move at the end of his contract. Neumann’s ability aside, this was quite a shrewd deal. I say this because Blues locked in their man early but avoided paying a fee and with clubs looking at Blues as a club with money, so putting an extra 10 or 20% on the price tag of a player, it’s going to be a case of going that bit further to get value for money.

Blues have been linked with a few players, I covered a couple off the other week when I looked ahead to the opening of the transfer window which you can read here so I won’t revisit those ones as there’s nothing further along than the initial speculation still on these so I’d just be repeating myself, especially when there’s a raft of new speculation to cover.

Damarai Gray

Another of the former players names pulled out of a hat and linked with Blues is academy graduate Damarai Gray. The 28 year old winger is currently out in Saudi securing the bag but as with many players who have made the move, he is looking for a way back into English football.

Media reports suggest that this one is in discussion stages but that Al-Ettifaq have put a price tag of £8m on Gray who still has two years left on his contract. Blues are undoubtedly in the market for a winger but I can’t see them rushing into spending big money unless it’s absolutely necessary so I suspect, at least for now, Blues will be also keeping an eye on other players with proven Championship quality.

Sontje Hansen

As if to prove that Blues aren’t putting all their eggs in one basket, Sky Sports have started to report that Blues are casting their eye over the Eredivisie where Sontje Hansen ply’s his trade for NEC Nijmegen. Burnley also had an interest in the player in January when NEC apparently put a £3.5m price tag on him.

Hansen started off his footballing career at the Ajax academy but failed to breakthrough into the senior team. In 2023 he made the move to NEC and has since made 72 appearances, scored 13 goals and provided 9 assists. At 23 years old there is a lot of potential in this signing but he doesn’t have English football under his belt, that said he has speed, skill and seems to have settled well into the Dutch top flight. If he can hit the ground running in the Championship it could be a great investment!

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi

Keeping the theme of Wingers, Blues have also been linked with Crystal Palace Winger but aren’t the only club whose name has been put beside Rak-Sakyi’s. He was out on loan at Sheffield United last season where he scored 7 goals in all 35 appearances.

Palace are looking to cash in on the academy graduate after he requested to leave the club last season. Leeds and Southampton have both been linked with the 22 year old as well and I’ve seen suggestions Palace would be looking for a figure in the region of £12m.

Louie Barry

The one I’ve been hearing a lot lately is Blues interest in the Viles Louie Barry, the 21 year old striker. He has enjoyed a couple of loan deals out at Stockport scoring 24 goals in 44 appearances. It wouldn’t be the first time a player has made the move across the city.

Blues will certainly be in the market for a striker this summer but with both May and Stansfield I think Barry doesn’t bring more presence or experience. Barry hasn’t really played at this level following an unsuccessful loan spell at Hull toward the end of last season, as such Blues would more likely be looking to bolster their ranks by bringing in someone who has already proven their ability at this level (Or similar).

Charlie Savage

There was some talk of Charlie Savage, son of former Blues player Robbie, joining Blues but this one has turned out to be nothing more than paper talk anyway. BirminghamLive reported that Savage isn’t a player that Blues are looking to pursue.

James Beadle

Finally, Blues are reported to have made a move to bring in Brighton 20 year old shot stopper James Beadle in on loan. It’s fair to say the Peacock-Farrell doesn’t fill many people with confidence, even as a back up keeper, so Blues were always going to be in the market for a keeper. I did kind of think that Allsop would remain as the first choice keeper but I must admit I’d be surprised if Beadle would come to sit on the bench.