Birmingham City manager Lee Bowyer has insisted that he will have the final say on transfers that come into the club during his time in charge at St Andrew's.

The Blues are going to face another crucial summer transfer window whatever division they happen to be playing in next term, with Bowyer needing backing to address areas of the squad that he will feel need improving. Having got off to a winning start to his time in charge against Reading hope will be those additions will be made with Championship football in mind.

The former Charlton Athletic boss is Birmingham’s eighth different manager since 2016 and a lot of those who went before him made some recruitment mistakes. Aitor Karanka was backed to make numerous additions to the squad in both the summer and January windows, but a lot of the players brought in have so far not had as much impact as the Spaniard would have liked.

Speaking to the Birmingham Mail, Bowyer was asked whether he would be handed control over signings of players in the summer and whether or not he would have the final word on any moves in or out of the football club. He insisted that it is only right that the manager receives that kind of control so he can build the squad he feels that all players can play a part in.

He said: “Yes. What’s the point in bringing in players that I don’t like and probably won’ t play if I don’t like them?

“That’s just a waste of money. I want to play a certain way, you need certain players to play that way. So yes, that’s the way football is now.”

The verdict

Every manager needs to feel they have control over who comes in and leaves the club during their times in charge, and Bowyer is the sort of person who would have been wanting assurances over that you feel before he took on the job. As he says it is vital that the Blues are able to sign players who are going to be suited to the way in which he wants his side to play going forwards.

Recruitment is a major issue for the Blues and they need to start getting more of their signings to make impacts on the team quicker than they have been doing in recent times. The likes of Ivan Sunjic was signed for £6 million, but he has not been able to be as consistent as the Blues would have wanted for that price. While signings made last summer have taken time to bed in.

Bowyer will be working with a squad that has had recruitment put in place by numerous managers who have gone before, all of who would have had different styles in play in mind. That is why Birmingham are crying out for stability and to have someone in place for a number of windows to construct the squad in their image. That is exactly what Bowyer is wanting to do now.