Top goalkeeper signing: January transfer moves that could transform Birmingham City’s season News: The72 – Football League News

Birmingham City have had a promising campaign in the Championship, and a successful January could see them secure a play-off place.

Birmingham City arrived in the Championship full of confidence after storming to the League One title as a record-breaker. BCFC made no secret of their ambition to challenge for promotion immediately.

When Chris Davies’ team made a slow start, criticism quickly followed. However, a run of four wins, one draw and two defeats through November dropped them from 17th to 9th, and they now sit just three points off the top six in 11th.

Crucial to that rise was the rise of Jay Stansfield and Marvin Ducksch as a powerful attacking partnership. The pair are an example of how successful BCFC has been in the transfer market in recent times.

Davies will be hoping for another successful window in January. That said, we suggest three transfer moves that could secure Birmingham City’s play-off place…

Be number one for the long term

James Beadle arrived as goalkeeper for Birmingham City this summer. The England U21 international was loaned out from Brighton, together with Eiran Cashin.

Beadle has had a decent campaign so far and he has experience in the Championship following his spells at Sheffield Wednesday. However, if BCFC wants to progress through the competitions to the Premier League, they need a permanent number one for the long term.

Brighton are likely to have high expectations for Beadle, meaning he is unlikely to move to the Blues permanently. That said, a higher profile signing is not something unusual for Birmingham City.

If they can find the right goalkeeper, both in England and abroad, they should sign that statement in January. A top stopper with Christoph Klarer and Phil Neumann in front of him would be a Premier League backline in the making.

Tie up Patrick Roberts

Patrick Roberts is a player who has had a difficult start to his career within the Premier League loan system. During his time at Manchester City, he was sent on loan throughout Europe season after season.

He enjoyed the best football of his career at Celtic, where current boss Chris Davies was coach at the time, and later at Sunderland. At Celtic he spent two full seasons on loan, while at Sunderland he finally found a permanent home.

Roberts’ contract at Sunderland expires this summer, and with the Black Cats likely to remain in the Premier League, an extension seems unlikely. As a result, he would not demand a large fee, leaving BCFC in a strong position to try to land him.

Patrick Roberts’ stats during his time at Birmingham City – via FOTMob

Make another Tommy Doyle-esque borrowing move

Should BCFC sign Roberts permanently, they could sign another loan deal. If that is the case, they should look for another player of Tommy Doyle’s quality who could be a regular in the future.

Finances are not an issue for Birmingham City at the moment, meaning they can compete with teams across Europe and towards the bottom of the Premier League. The project underway at BCFC means that they are a very attractive club to join.

Doyle has been a revelation for Birmingham City in recent weeks. If they can repeat such a signing again in January, it would be a big step forward towards their play-off push.