This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

After struggling to get going in the Championship last season, Birmingham have scoured the transfer market for fresh signings to help get the squad firing and heading up the division again next season.

Whilst the club don't have the funds of some of the big-hitters in the division and therefore may struggle to drag themselves up the league, the side have been able to bring in some decent talent so far this window.

One such player is Auston Trusty, who has plenty of experience under his belt and arrives on a loan deal from Arsenal. He's spent time in the USA in the past and in fact has played the entirety of his competitive league football in the country via the MLS and USL.

This move to Birmingham then marks the first time that the defender will be tested in England and in the Championship - but the signs are the player could be very solid for the Blues during the campaign. He ranked as one of the best attacking centre-backs in the league and the player's progressive passes stat ranks him within the top 15% of players in his position in the MLS.

Having already played in pre-season for Birmingham too, adjusting to playing in the second tier might not take much adjusting - and Birmingham's Football League World fan pundit Tom Oxland has revealed that he has actually been their best defender so far and is likely to play in the opening weekend of Championship fixtures.

Speaking about the player and whether he will get onto the field then, he said: "Since Auston Trusty has arrived in pre-season, he's been very solid in the games that he's played, probably our most solid defender in the centre of the park so far.

"So I'd be very open to Trusty starting and I think he will, especially with [Dion] Sanderson now being potentially injured so we'll just have to wait and see. But yeah, I'd say there's about a 95% chance that Trusty will start and I'm happy for him because he's deserved it based on his pre-season performances."

The Verdict

Arsenal sending Auston Trusty to Birmingham this season could be an excellent bit of business by the Blues.

Even though the player has yet to feature in Championship action, he already has plenty of top-flight MLS action under his belt and with the club needing plenty more options in defence, he also fills a position of need for the side ahead of the campaign.

Even with the player aged at just 23-years-old, he already has over 100 MLS games under his belt and even more in the USL. That experience for the Blues will come as a massive help, even if it isn't in England. He knows what it takes to produce the goods at a high level and his average stats and rankings amongst players in his position in the division show he has become one of the best in the league.

Now, with a new transfer to look forward to with Birmingham, he will be keen to show that he can do similar work in the Championship. If the player can hit the same levels in the second tier, then he could be one of the most astute signings in the EFL this window.