Birmingham City’s relegation has meant that there is an even higher probability that some of their highest-valued players would go.
Jordan James can surely put himself within such group, having been on the radar of various sides in the Premier League, Championship and across the continent.
This only heightened in January amid well-documented interest from Serie A team Atalanta – who saw bids rejected – as well as following ties to Leicester City and Crystal Palace between then, and when Blues’ relegation was confirmed on May 4th.
Furthermore, the Italian team that qualified for the UEFA Champions League have been linked with interest once again, this time alongside West Ham United.
Therefore, it appears exceedingly unlikely that the 19-year-old Welsh international will be plying his trade at St Andrew’s at Knighthead Park in League One amd FLW have come up with three replacements the club should seek in the summer transfer window.
The first of three players who may be a perfect replacement for James comes in the form of George Byers, who will leave Sheffield Wednesday in the coming weeks when his tenure at Hillsborough officially finishes
Despite participating consistently in the first half of the season under Xisco Munoz and Danny Rohl, the former Swansea man was loaned out to Blackpool, where he put together a run of solid performances in the third division once again, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.98.
However, his performances for the Owls in the 22/23 promotion campaign indicate that Byers is a high-end League One performer in a squad that bears a lot of expectation compared to some of their divisional competitors – a topic Birmingham will have to contend with next season.
In just 24 outings and 19 starts under Darren Moore, Byers accumulated six goals, three assists, as well as other excellent figures for a box-to-box midfielder such as 2.8 tackles per game.
If the 28-year-old could duplicate such success with a bigger appearance total in B9, then a free move for his services would be a no-brainer.
Exploring the loan market for a temporary resolution might possibly be a route Blues are likely to investigate and Alex Robertson should undoubtedly be a target in this specific category
The Dundee-born Australian international may feel he still has unfinished business in the third division, given he didn’t appear in the second half of Portsmouth’s title-winning season last term after sustaining a major hamstring injury.
This could put potential suitors off the 21-year-old, but when you look past the initial surface, the Manchester City prospect was a key component to John Mousinho’s midfield in the opening months of the campaign, registering one goal and four assists, as well as being deployed in an array of midfield positions – similar to James’ own situation under a plethora of managers in the Second City.
Given the parallels between the two players and the circumstances many anticipate Birmingham to be in – imitating Pompey’s success – it would be a great match for both parties, but it might depend on whether any interest from Championship sides arrives throughout the course of the window.
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