BRUM IS BLUE!

With the flurry of activity before the Portugal training camp transfer news went a bit quiet so I’ve not done a round up for a couple of weeks now. Personally I don’t think we’ll see too many more signings ahead of August, I feel Blues have strengthened well over the summer. That said there has been an influx of rumours in recent days so I thought we’ll have a look.

I’ll kick it off with players linked to join, the focus of the rumour mill recently seems to be strikers and with a departing striker in the round up too, it’s fair to see why.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

I’m going to start with the one that seemed to make the most noise. He has recently had his contract terminated though which I feel isn’t a good sign, it’s not to do with attitude or ability though but for injuries, he seems very injury prone. That said, if he can stay fit he can still definitely do a job.

The former Liverpool and Arsenal Midfielder is now 31 years of age so is coming towards the end of his career but his boyhood club are also linked with him. For me I’d be surprised if this one was more than just a rumour.

Jamie Vardy

This one is undoubtedly just a link for the sake of linking. Vardy is out of contract so the free agent aspect no doubt plays a part in it, I think it would be a statement move (Although I’ve seen a few fans say they wouldn’t want him). Vardy is another player coming to the end of his career in reality, but he’s a player that would demand high wages despite his age and while is ability is irrefutably there his standards may not align with what Blues are trying to build.

For me, Vardy would be a 12 month contract kind of player. Someone brought in to achieve the objective at the first attempt, a journey man rather than a solid piece of the future of the club. This is due to various reports over the years about his attitude, especially to managers he doesn’t want.

Alexander Mitrovic

It’s another player in his 30s that’s been linked with a move to Blues, this time Mitrovic from Al-Hilal. The striker is looking for a move back to England having made the move to Saudi from Fulham in 2023. He enjoyed a solid period at Fulham where he made 190 appearances and scored 109 goals, or a goal every 1.7 games.

Blues are rumoured to have had a £12m bid accepted for the striker which seems a substantial amount if he’s going to be looking for wages that are anywhere near what he’d be getting in Saudi. As such I think there’s a few stumbling blocks to go, including the fact the player is primarily looking for a move to the Premier League but is allegedly open to Blues offer. I think this is one to keep an eye on.

Marvin Ducksch

It’s a final experienced striker for the last of the incoming transfer rumours. Marvin Ducksch is 31 years old and currently plays for Bundesliga team Werder Bremen, he has played his football exclusively in Germany so it would be a change of style but I’ve spoken before about there being some similarities between the physicality of the English League that can also be seen in German football.

In one breath I pretend to know about German football before this line; I don’t follow German football too much so I’ve not seen a lot of Ducksch, he was also at Hannover but didn’t cross paths with Neumann.

Alfie May

Kicking off the departing players is the confirmed move of Alfie May to Huddersfield. I’ve been hard pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say against May, I think many fans would have liked to see him given a go in the Championship despite the raft of attacking options brought in. That said I also don’t think anyone begrudges him a move.

May has been a fantastic EFL striker during his career but I’ll be honest and say that he’s probably at his level. That’s no disrespect to him, it’s just that if he could do it in the Championship he’d have been picked up by a Championship club at some point. Therefore I don’t think it’s fair to keep him and restrict his game time.

Reports suggest that Blues got £1.2m for May after having paid an estimated £700k for him the summer before. It’s definitely a win-win then as May will get more game time at Huddersfield and Blues have made a profit so the only reason to keep him would have been a sentimental notion from the fans. I’d like to wish him all the best going forward.

Marc Leonard

The other player linked to Huddersfield is Marc Leonard, admittedly it’s a player I didn’t consider a potential exit for. It’s one of them though, with the competition for Midfield hotting up it makes sense for Leonard to look elsewhere if he wants more regular game time and if the money is right why not cash in.

I do like Leonard though and that free kick against Seville was fantastic, I’m not sure though it was a sign of more to come this season. This one looks to be progressing though so at this point I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go.