£7m Birmingham City star could have similar fate to Kyogo - Chris Davies must prevent this | OneFootball

Carlos Vicente has had a tricky start to life at Birmingham City and mustn't follow in the footsteps of Kyogo Furuhashi

Despite their best efforts, Birmingham City look set for another season in the Championship, with the Blues' hopes of a top-six finish looking increasingly slim.

Having fired themselves back to the English second tier in emphatic fashion, Birmingham were looking to build upon their record-breaking campaign with another strong season.

Under the guidance of Chris Davies, the Blues amassed a staggering 111 points in League One last year on their way to the title, and upon their promotion, weren't afraid to splash the cash in a bid to break into the top six.

Demarai Gray, Phil Neumann, and Bright Osayi-Samuel were all picked up on free transfers, James Beadle, Patrick Roberts, and Tommy Doyle joined on loan, whilst they paid fees for each of Marvin Ducksch, Jack Robinson, and Kyogo Furuhashi.

Kyogo joined in a £10 million deal from French side Stade Rennes, having previously shone up in Scotland with Celtic, and came with a strong reputation.

However, things haven't quite worked out for the Japanese forward, who has seen his game time fizzle out over the campaign, with Birmingham once again making moves in the January window to offset this.

One of those was the £7 million purchase of Spanish winger Carlos Vicente from Deportivo Alaves, though he too has had a tricky start to life at St Andrews, as head coach Davies must ensure he doesn't make the same mistake again.

Carlos Vicente has had a tough start to life at Birmingham City since his January switch

Since switching from the Basque Country to Birmingham, Vicente hasn't had the electric start to life in England's second city as many Blues fans would have hoped.

The 26-year-old was one of several additions made by Davies during the January window, with the likes of Jhon Solis, August Priske, Kai Wagner, and Ibrahim Osman also joining the club.

With the likes of Grey, Osman, and Roberts as options from out wide, Birmingham has one of the most competitive winger choices in the entire division, meaning Vicente's place in the side is far from nailed down.

As a result, the Spaniard has started just four league games since his arrival, and has been reduced to picking up the majority of his minutes off the bench.

In four of his last five league games, Vicente has been forced to make his appearances off the bench, with Roberts the preferred option on the right flank.

With one goal and one assist since joining, it certainly hasn't been the start to life at St Andrews that he or Birmingham supporters would have been hoping for, as he must ensure he doesn't follow down the same path as summer signing Kyogo.

Chris Davies must ensure he doesn't make the same mistake with Carlos Vicente as he did with Kyogo Furuhashi

Although Birmingham has been blessed by wealthy owners, this doesn't make them immune to financial difficulties.

The £10 million spent on Kyogo looks to have been a complete waste of money, with the former Celtic star having failed to adapt to life at St Andrews, with just one goal and zero assists in 28 league appearances, and only eight of those coming as starts.

Kyogo has completed just two 90-minute games in the Championship all season, and has played just a combined 16 minutes of league football in the past 11 games, with him not even being named in the squad on occasion.

A permanent exit in the summer appears to be the most likely option for the Japanese forward, though what sort of fee Birmingham will command for him remains to be seen.

They almost certainly won't collect anywhere close to the eight-figure sum they paid for him less than a year ago, and following this, the same mistake simply cannot be made with Vicente.

Though the Spaniard already has twice as many direct goal contributions in the Championship as Kyogo, his lack of minutes in recent weeks will likely concern Blues supporters.

Not many clubs can afford to spend a combined £17 million on two players and leave them out regularly, and though Birmingham has more money than most, it's certainly not an ideal situation, and reflects poorly on Davies.

If the 40-year-old cannot get the best out of either Vicente or Kyogo despite their lucrative purchases, doubts over whether he could be trusted with Premier League money will almost certainly be cast.