Birmingham City have had a mixed start to the 2022-23 season, but there have been some early promising signs in the Championship under John Eustace.

The new head coach got off to a satisfactory start on the road against Luton Town with a goalless draw, before defeating Huddersfield Town at St. Andrew's last weekend.

Unfortunately though, Birmingham slipped to their first defeat on Saturday when losing 1-0 at Cardiff City, which perhaps showed the need to bring in a few more players before the transfer deadline.

 

 

 

 

Let's look at TWO individuals who could be realistic acquisitions before the window slams shut.

Lewis Grabban

Soccer Football - Championship - Middlesbrough v Nottingham Forest - Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, Britain - December 26, 2021  Nottingham Forest?s Lewis Grabban reacts   Action Images/Lee Smith  EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.  Please contact your account representative for furt
Soccer Football - Championship - Middlesbrough v Nottingham Forest - Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, Britain - December 26, 2021 Nottingham Forest?s Lewis Grabban reacts Action Images/Lee Smith EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

In the position Birmingham are currently in, we are no closer to finding out when the partial takeover from Paul Richardson and Maxi Lopez is going to happen, so the funds are not there to spend.

The loan market has been a source of productivity for the Blues this summer, but you can only name five loanees in a matchday squad in the EFL, and if the expected deal for Hannibal Mejbri from Manchester United takes place, then there will be no point in bringing any more in.

Therefore, it looks as though some free agents will have to be taken a punt on, and whilst Birmingham already have a number of strikers over the age of 30, none will perhaps provide more of a goal threat than Grabban.

A well-known goal-getter at Championship level, Grabban is a free agent having left Nottingham Forest earlier this summer, and if he can keep fit, he will surely be guaranteed first-team football at St. Andrew's on the strength of 12 goals in 32 league outings for the Tricky Trees last season.

Grabban did miss the final part of last season due to an injury, and now he's at the age of 34 there's a chance that more niggles could start to creep into his game.

But providing Birmingham can meet his wage demands, Grabban would be a very good short-term addition to a front-line that isn't currently firing on all cylinders.

Cyrus Christie

Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Group E - Republic of Ireland v Ukraine - Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland - June 8, 2022 Ukraine's Vitalii Mykolenko in action with Republic of Ireland's Cyrus Christie Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

Despite Maxime Colin putting in some good performances over the years since his 2017 move from Brentford, but the Frenchman is now 30 years old and hasn't impressed too much so far this season.

It was interesting to see that Cyrus Christie was training with Birmingham earlier in the month in a bid to keep fit, according to John Eustace, who has insisted that he wouldn't be signing Christie, who was a former team-mate of his at Derby County.

However, with Colin slightly unconvincing in the early weeks of the season, the stance could now well change, and Birmingham could definitely do with someone a lot more attack-minded and quicker down that right flank.

That is what Christie possesses, and when Swansea saved him in the second half of last season from spending the entire campaign on the Fulham sidelines, the Ireland international put in some top performances with three goals and four assists in 23 games.

Now a free agent, it seems like a complete and utter no-brainer to offer Christie a contract.