Birmingham City are set to face a crucial period in the January transfer window where they will need to make some wise decision in terms of their recruitment to progress under Lee Bowyer.

Bowyer managed to keep the Blues in the Championship last season after they had fallen into a precarious position under Aitor Karanka.

The remit at the start of his first campaign in charge would have been to stabilise the club and attempt to make some progress pushing towards the top half of the Championship table if possible.

At various stages in the campaign, it looked like Birmingham might be able to go a little better than a mid-table finish this term. However, the Blues’ form has largely been too inconsistent for that and they are currently sat eight points clear of the relegation zone and also eight points adrift of the play-off places.

It was always going to take time for Birmingham to bring in the sort of players that could thrive at St Andrews under Bowyer and help the club climb up the Championship table.

Having had the summer to invest in the squad, the winter window is another chance for him to add another piece of the jigsaw to his squad.

Therefore, it will be interesting to see which players Birmingham go after in the transfer market in the winter window and how successful they are at bringing in their key targets. While it will also be vital that they avoid losing some of their key players as well.

With that in mind, we take a look at THREE transfers that could happen concerning the Blues in January…

Jake Bidwell to arrive

One player that Birmingham could be set to make a move for in the January transfer window is Swansea City defender Jake Bidwell.

The left-back is a crucial player for the swans and played a major part in their push for promotion last season with him providing eight assists in his 42 appearances, but his current deal with the Swans is set to expire at the end of the campaign.

It was initially reported by the Swansea Independent that Bidwell was a player that could emerge on Birmingham’s radar ahead of the January transfer window.

That has now recently been added to by Birmingham Live reporter Brian Dick who has confirmed the Blues could move for the left-back.

It is beloved that Bidwell could arrive at St Andrews because the Blues are planning for life without Kristian Pedersen with his contract set to expire in the summer.

It could be a move that Birmingham might be able to get over the line considering Bidwell’s situation with his contract at Swansea. However, the Welsh club might want to try and tie him down to a new deal.

 

 

Juan Castillo to return to Chelsea

A player that Birmingham could lose from their squad during the January transfer window is Chelsea loanee Juan Castillo.

The defender arrived in the summer on a season-long loan deal from the European champions, and it was hoped that he could come into the squad and provide a good option for Bowyer to consider in the wing-back position.

However, Castillo’s loan spell has not really gone the way that any of the parties involved in the deal would have been hoping for. The 21-year-old has managed to make just two Championship appearances for Birmingham this season, and that is not enough for him to really gain much progress in his long-term development.

Chelsea might want to recall Castillo from his loan spell with the Blues and then aim to try and find a new club for him during the rest of the winter window. The 21-year-old clearly has some ability, but he needs to get regular game time in the second half of the campaign to show his parent club what he can bring to the table.

Riley McGree to make anticipated departure

There can be no doubt that Riley McGree has been a vital performer for Birmingham over the last few months with him stepping up to the plate and helping to add some much-needed creativity to the side.

However, it does seem as though there is nothing that the Blues are going to be able to do to prevent him from returning to his parent club Charlotte FC next month.

Bowyer has remained downbeat over Birmingham’s chances of signing McGree on a longer-term or even short-term deal in the winter window.

It would be a huge loss for the Blues if they were to lose the attacking midfielder and it would take a lot of good scouting work for them to be able to identify the right replacement to sign in his place.

McGree has suggested that he is loving life at St Andrews, but he has also refused to be drawn on whether there is any chance he could stay on at Birmingham.