£7m Birmingham City ace would be better off without Chris Davies - 'he will come good' | OneFootball

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies has failed to get the best out of some of his signings.

Birmingham City enjoyed yet another busy transfer window in the winter, but Chris Davies has failed to guide Blues towards the Championship play-off spots.

Easter Monday's 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town marked Birmingham's third successive loss, and left them just 16th in the second tier.

Blues began the season with play-off aspirations despite winning the League One title just last term, but they will instead fail to finish in the top-half unless they enjoy a swift upturn in form.

Davies' men host Wrexham this Sunday, and the Red Dragons are vying to get their top-six push back on track, having been thrashed 5-1 by Southampton on Tuesday.

Birmingham City are yet to see the best of Carlos Vicente

Birmingham's transfer activity under the ambitious ownership of Knighthead Capital Management has caught the eye, and the £20million fee they paid for Jay Stansfield's services in the summer of 2024 is still widely talked about.

Blues flexed their financial muscles yet again in the recent winter transfer window, and landed a £7m deal for winger Carlos Vicente, who joined from Deportivo Alaves.

Football League World asked our Birmingham fan pundit, Jason Moore, if Vicente has lived up to the fee the West Midlands club forked out for him.

Moore said: "It's a difficult one for Vicente, because he started really, really well. I appreciate he's come from La Liga, and there's going to be an expectation that you've paid £7m, he's got to hit the ground running.

"But I think the Championship is a very difficult league, especially when you're coming from somewhere like La Liga and he's a winger. Jhon Solis has adapted a bit better because he's big, and he's strong, and he can get himself about.

"But Vicente's come in from La Liga, where, if you touch them, they go down, and they roll on the ground and, to be fair, he came in, and he tried that straight away.

"I think he needs a bit of time to adjust. To be fair to the bloke, it's not like Chris Davies is giving him much of a run-out. He can't decide who he wants to play game to game, it's like he just makes it up.

"When he does play him, you've got a squad that's just completely shot of confidence and ideas, because of this bloke's tactics. No, he's not lived up to his £7m price-tag, but I think he will come good.

"I think there's a real player there, his first touch is out of this world, especially for this level, it's quality. I think he'll come good. I think, also, he'll come good when we've got a different man in charge, and you've got a full pre-season.

"Now he's got a better idea of what the Championship is going to be about, he'll probably have to beef up a bit. Give him time, but no, he's not lived up to the fee just yet."

Ipswich Town exploits should lead to more game time for Carlos Vicente

As alluded to by Moore, Vicente hasn't yet proven that he is worth his price-tag, having notched two goals and one assist in 12 Championship appearances.

However, the 26-year-old was a standout performer for Birmingham in their 2-1 defeat to Ipswich on Easter Monday, getting himself on the scoresheet.

Blues' trip to Ipswich marked Vicente's first start since a 1-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic on 7 March, and his goal against the Tractor Boys should see him handed more starting opportunities in his side's last five games.

The winger proved that he can be a real asset by scoring against Kieran McKenna's side, who are likely to seal automatic promotion, and he can show his worth once again in upcoming clashes with play-off chasers Wrexham and Hull City.