Birmingham City will hope their bold approach to January recruitment can push them up into the Championship playoff positions before the whirlwind season is out.
Amazingly, the Blues are already four signings down across the chaotic month, with a whopping £6m alone splashed out on Djurgårdens IF striker August Priske, the pick of the bunch, alongside Brighton and Hove Albion loanee Ibrahim Osman, further enhancing Chris Davies’ attacking options.
Five points now separate the West Midlands giants from Wrexham, occupying that final playoff position, as the Championship heads into its nail-biting final few months.
More statement signings could well potentially be in the offing, therefore, as Davies and Co scramble to keep the crazy dream of back-to-back promotions alive.
Birmingham make approach to sign £6m star
Birmingham will not be afraid to splash the cash to achieve their goal of a return to the Premier League, having been big spenders all the way down in League One.
They haven’t had everything their own way in the window, however, with a stunning move for Jeremy Sarmiento ultimately falling flat, even as it was reported that the top-flight-experienced winger had agreed a deal to swap Brighton for Birmingham.
Hopefully, Birmingham can experience a bit more luck in the unpredictable market by going after long-term target Carlos Vicente, again, with Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph revealing that the Championship giants have opened talks with Alaves about signing the Spanish attacker.
It is further revealed that Vicente would favour a move to St. Andrew’s over relocating to Ajax, who are also keen on his services, with more reports from Spain indicating that £6m might well be enough to lure the Zaragoza-born forward to English shores.
Why Vicente would be a big upgrade on Osman
Adding in Vicente could prove to be yet another big push that helps Birmingham to compete in the crowded promotion positions in the Championship, with the potential addition of the Alaves number seven to the Blues’ ranks seeing Davies’ men land a big upgrade on the much-talked-about Osman.
Osman has already excited Birmingham fans, having made his debut last time out as the Blues did battle with promotion rivals Stoke City.
Indeed, from only 27 touches of the ball, the energetic Ghananian fired four shots at the Potters’ goal, with the hope that the end product comes soon, having previously scored 14 strikes on the books of both Feyenoord and FC Nordsjaelland.
His brand new manager would hail his performance as “really promising”, but if Birmingham want to accelerate towards the higher climbs of the division, they’ll need players who can instantly deliver under pressure, as opposed to showing glimpses of their qualities here and there, which is what Vicente could provide.
The 26-year-old has been at the top of his game in LaLiga for some time now, with a sublime seven goals coming his way in both league action and Copa Del Rey action sticking out from his numbers for the season so far. Amazingly, one of those efforts even fell into his lap against Real Madrid, from just 27 minutes of action, back in December.
In total, Vicente has 11 goals and nine assists for his current employers, in La Liga alone, from 75 clashes. But he is far from a one-trick pony.
Alongside this electric output, the blistering number seven is also a committed battler for the cause, having averaged 4.4 duels won per top-flight contest this season. In contrast, Osman – for all his tenacity down the flanks out on loan with Auxerre earlier this campaign – only managed to win a weak 2.6 duels per Ligue 1 showdown.
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Vicente’s LaLiga numbers for Alaves |
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|---|---|
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Stat |
Vicente |
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Games played |
75 |
|
Minutes played |
5390 mins |
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Goals scored |
11 |
|
Assists |
9 |
|
Big chances missed |
4 |
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Big chances created |
24 |
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Stats by Sofascore |
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In the here and now, it’s clear that Vicente is a big upgrade on the promise of the Ghananian, as the 5-foot-10 winger continues to strut his stuff with class in the Basque Country, with a mighty 24 big chances created across his three seasons at the very top of Spanish football, just one standout tally from the table above.
He won’t come cheap, but landing Vicente’s signature could take an already exciting Birmingham attack to that next level, while Osman still needs more time to cut his teeth as a rising 21-year-old star.
Birmingham in talks to sign “wonderful” gem who’d be unplayable with Osman
Birmingham City are reportedly keen on a star who could be great alongside Ibrahim Osman this season.
