Birmingham City have submitted their squad list to the EFL and there is space to register one more player before January
Birmingham City reporter for BirminghamLive and the Birmingham Mail
Chris Davies, manager of Birmingham City
Chris Davies has elected not to name the maximum 25 players in the squad Birmingham City submitted to the EFL after the summer transfer window.
The Blues boss instead named 24 players, leaving out long-term injured duo Lee Buchanan and Scott Wright, which leaves him wriggle room to sign a free agent in the event of an emergency.
Davies did the exact same thing last season but, fortunately, Blues didn’t need to sign any free agents because their squad was well stocked and their key players avoided lengthy injuries.
Blues have once again pieced together a well-balanced squad in the summer transfer window.
The deadline day signing of Jack Robinson from Sheffield United provides cover to Alex Cochrane at left-back, which has been a problematic position in Buchanan’s absence. Fingers crossed Cochrane’s wonderful availability record continues.
Injuries can happen and a prolonged period without midfield dynamo Tomoki Iwata wouldn’t be ideal either. Blues have the talented Tommy Doyle and Marc Leonard in reserve but neither possesses Iwata’s physicality.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the most attractive free agent options on the market in the event that Blues need one at some stage before January.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Positions: Centre-midfield, winger
Former Liverpool and Arsenal midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain popped up on Blues’ radar over the summer but they didn’t pursue a deal for the 32-year-old after his Besiktas contract was ripped up.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is now 32, with 433 career appearances to his name, and he can play in a number of positions. He isn’t the type of player you would expect to be a free agent for long.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is available after leaving Besiktas a year earlyJamal Lewis
Position: Left-back
Lewis hasn’t played in almost a year and was released by Newcastle United during the summer. He is a left-back with Championship and Premier League experience whose career has faltered since moving to Newcastle from Norwich City in 2020.
There has been very little talk about Lewis, 27, during the summer, other than a report linking him with a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah.
Daniel Amartey
Positions: Right-back, centre-back, centre-midfield
The Ghana international is a player Davies knows well from his time at Leicester City and can cover a number of positions, from centre-back to central midfield, but the fact he hasn’t played club football in over a year does count against him.
Dele Alli
Position: Attacking midfielder
Alli is a free agent having recently left Serie A side Como and bookmakers have tipped him for moves to three Championship clubs – Blues, Wrexham and West Bromwich Albion.
There is nothing to suggest Blues would be interested in Alli, whose career has tailed off since the last of his England caps in 2019, and they do have a number of options in the number 10 position.
Dele Alli only played one game for Italian side ComoPatrick Bamford
Position: Striker
Bamford is 32 now but not so long ago he was scoring goals in the Premier League and before that he was a regular scorer in the Championship.
He was a bit-part player for Leeds United last season, failing top score in 17 Championship matches, but he does have a proven track record.
Emmanuel Dennis
Position: Striker
Dennis enjoyed an excellent first season in England with Watford, scoring 10 Premier League goals, but he hasn’t come close to reproducing those numbers during two spells in the Championship with the Hornets and Blackburn Rovers.
Blues are big on availability nowadays and Dennis has only played 33 games in the last two seasons. He is a wildcard option for teams looking for a striker.
Do you think Blues will need to utilise the free agent market? Let us know HEREGet the latest Blues headlines sent straight to your phone
BirminghamLive has its very own Birmingham City WhatsApp community to deliver the latest headlines straight to your phone. Just click this link to receive daily Blues content and breaking news. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. Click on the name at the top of your screen while in WhatsApp and click ‘Exit Group’. Read our Privacy Notice.