Birmingham City are believed to be targeting a shock move for a “great player” in the summer transfer window, in what would be a major statement of intent.
Birmingham buoyant after strong start to season
Chris Davies’ side went into the new Championship season as something of an unknown, with some predicting them to seal back-to-back promotions and others wondering if they would struggle with the step up from League One.
It has been a positive opening two league matches for Birmingham, though, who came agonisingly close to beating Ipswich Town at home on the opening weekend, before producing a stunning late comeback to win 2-1 away to Blackburn Rovers last Saturday.
The early signs are extremely promising for the Blues, but Davies will know the importance of completing more transfer business between now and the end of the month, having missed out on rumoured target Danny Namasa, who has instead joined Auxerre on loan from Porto.
Added depth can be priceless for Birmingham as the season goes on, with legs tiring and squad depth worth their worth in gold, and now a hugely renowned player has been linked with a move to St Andrew’s.
Birmingham keen on signing Premier League champion
According to a fresh report from The Mirror, Birmingham “have made an ambitious move” for former England international Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer.
The 32-year-old wants to leave current club Besiktas and return to English football after a forgettable spell in Turkey, and the Blues “hope they can convince him because of the ownership and direction”, during an exciting period in the club’s history.
At 32, Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t the force he was prior to a serious knee injury at Liverpool in 2018, but he could still be a statement signing by Birmingham.
The Englishman would add box-to-box quality to the heart of Davies’ midfield, having registered 44 goals/assists in the Premier League in his career, as well as once being lauded by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
“We could all see the potential of Alex and where he could develop. He picked an incredible club to move to and he wanted a challenge probably after so many years here. We have to accept that and I think we all wish him the best because as well as being a great player, I think he was someone who was really, really like here among the fans, the staff and the players.”
Birmingham have the financial clout to entice a player like Oxlade-Chamberlain to the club this summer, and if he feels they are genuine promotion contenders in the Championship, he could jump at the opportunity to come in as a star man, helping them return to the Premier League.
