Birmingham City fans won’t want to get too carried away, but there is a feeling in the air at St. Andrew’s that the Blues could really shake up proceedings on their re-entry to the Championship.
After all, last season proved that Chris Davies’ men were just too big of a fish for the small League One pond, amassing a ridiculous 111 points.
Therefore, the hope will be that the reigning League One champions jump back up to the second-tier with a fearlessness present, which could well result in a back-to-back promotion story taking place.
Of course, the initial aim will just be to return and consolidate, but new signings aplenty would certainly boost their wildest dreams, with an exciting midfield talent now on their radar.
Birmingham battling to sign £2m star
As per a report from Football Insider, Birmingham are set to battle it out for the services of Reading star Charlie Savage this summer.
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The report names Wrexham, Blackburn Rovers, and Portsmouth as keen onlookers also eyeing up the two-time Wales senior international alongside Davies’ side, with the Royals valuing Savage at around the £2m mark amidst this frenzied interest.
This would be a gutting loss for Reading, with the ex-Manchester United academy prodigy really coming into his own in League One.
But, the prospect of a Championship move will surely turn Savage’s head, with Birmingham perhaps winning their next Jordan James in the process if the 22-year-old decides to call St. Andrew’s his new home shortly.
How Savage possesses shades of James
Birmingham would love to uncover their next version of James in Savage, considering the current Reading midfielder’s fellow compatriot would up and leave the Blues prematurely after just three seasons in the senior game with his boyhood employers.
He would shine with ten goals and two assists coming his way from 105 games to warrant a move away, and whilst Birmingham have responded to the setback of James leaving terrifically with the captures of Tomoki Iwata and Seung Ho-Paik in the middle of the park, Savage could well be the 20-year-old’s amazing second coming all the same.
Indeed, the Royals’ number eight has shown across his stay in Berkshire to date that he can hammer home a stunning effort much like James in his Blues prime, with Savage now up to 12 goals and 15 assists from 96 total games for Reading.
Described as an “exceptional” player by youth coach Matthew Jones, he also possesses a similar bite and energy strutting his stuff in League One, weighed up next to James’ swansong Championship season with Birmingham.
The numbers below tell the story perfectly.
Games played
45
40
Goals scored
5
8
Assists
9
0
Touches*
47.8
27.8
Accurate passes*
27.0 (80%)
14.0 (77%)
Key passes*
1.3
0.5
Big chances missed
2
2
Big chances created
5
3
Ball recoveries*
3.7
2.6
He could even go on to be better than James when making the step-up, with Savage trumping his Rennes counterpart in almost every aspect of their midfield games, albeit when he was performing at a level below the 20-year-old.
It could well be deemed a risk on Davies and Co’s end to fork out £2m for Savage, therefore, with the ex-Red Devils starlet yet to experience life in the Championship across his emergent career.
But, James was once in this boat himself and excelled with flying colours, with a hope that Savage flourishes in a similar vein at St. Andrew’s if he joins the ambitious club.
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