The season has gotten off to a strong start thanks to Birmingham City’s efforts to gain an instant return to the Championship.
On the first day, debutant Alfie May’s late penalty secured a 1-1 draw at home against Reading. Three days later, on Saturday, at Wycombe Wanderers, May, Luke Harris, and Willum Thor Willumsen scored goals in a thrilling 3-2 triumph at Adams Park. Between the two league matches was a well-deserved 1-0 victory at The Valley in a Carabao Cup first round clash against third division rivals Charlton Athletic, with a goal from Brandon Khela.
The Blues intend to finalize further business before the summer transfer window closes on August 31st, capping up an already frantic transfer window. What business, though, could be finished? We launched Football Manager 2024, updated the Blues roster to reflect current play, and examined how the most well-liked managing simulation in the world predicted the closing days of the window will unfold.
Goalkeepers
The Blues goalkeeping lineup remained unchanged, with summer additions Ryan Allsop and Bailey Peacock-Farrell seemingly vying to be Davies’ first-choice stopper.
The Blues paid £525k to sign defender George Edmundson from Ipswich Town, bringing a new face to the defense. In the defense, it was a case of one-in, one-out as left-back Emmanuel Longelo chose to sign a £1 million agreement to join Scottish Premiership team Aberdeen.
Davies’s options for defense are as follows: Laird, Sampstead, Edmundson, Fogarty, Buchanan, Cochrane, and Sanderson.
midfield players
The Japan international Koji Miyoshi made a swift return to the Championship on Wednesday, following a £4 million move to Sheffield, although there were no fresh arrivals to the Blues midfield ranks. Free agency Jeff Hendrick was approached by Birmingham with offers, but the former Newcastle United player turned them down in favor of joining Scottish powerhouse Rangers.
Chang, Bacuna, Paik, Leonard, Khela, Home, and Willumsson are Davies’ midfield choices.
Moving Forward
The Blues’ largest transaction of the summer transfer window involved a departure at the top of the field, regrettably, as the Premier League showed a great degree of interest in winger George Hall. Following multiple bids from clubs, Bournemouth emerged victorious in the competition for the Blues star’s talents after submitting a successful £10 million offer. Once more, there was just one arrival, and Jude Soonsup-Bell, a young player for Tottenham Hotspur, was going to be loaned out.
Roberts, Harris, Dembele, Hansson, Yokoyama, Anderson, Donovan, May, Jutkiewicz, Soonsup-Bell are the forward options available to Davies.
As in
Klarer (£3 million from Darmstadt), Willumsson (£2.75 million from Go Ahead Eagles), Hansson (£1.25 million from Heracles), Cochrane (£800 thousand from Hearts), Yokoyama (£750 thousand from Sagan Tosu), Allsop (£700 thousand from Hull City), May (£675 thousand from Charlton Athletic), Leonard (£400 thousand from Brighton and Hove Albion), Peacock Farrell (£400 thousand from Burnley), Sampsted (loan from FC Twente), Harris (loan from Fulham), Soonsup-Bell (loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Edmundson (£525 thousand from Ipswich Town).
Exits
The players James (£4 million to Rennes), Sunjic (free to Pafos), Etheridge (free to Buriram United), Gardner (free to Cambridge United), Roberts (free to Barnsley), Ruddy (free to Newcastle United), Jeacock (free to Lincoln City), Pritchard (undisclosed to Sivasspor), Hogan (released), Hall (£10 million to Bournemouth), Miyoshi (£4 million to Sheffield Wednesday), and Longelo (£1 million to Aberdeen)
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