Birmingham City transfer revelation emerges involving 26-cap international | OneFootball

Blues were heavily in the market for a centre-back in the winter window

It has emerged that Birmingham City had explored a potential transfer for Brentford's experienced centre-back, Ethan Pinnock, before eventually landing the services of Jonathan Panzo on a short-term contract.

Such a revelation has been brought to light by Birmingham Live, with Blues being one of the most active clubs in the Championship throughout the now-closed winter transfer window.

It has been well-documented for some time that, under the ambitious ownership of Knighthead Capital Management, Birmingham are on a mission to regain their Premier League status as soon as possible, with there still a chance that such fortunes are achieved in the remainder of the current campaign.

After an inconsistent first half of the season after their return to the second tier as League One champions, Chris Davies' side have enjoyed a largely successful January and early-February period when it comes to the major squad reshuffle which was conducted at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, as well as recently extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games.

Blues have remained on the periphery of the top six as a result, and they will be hoping their continued eye-catching transfer business -which saw six new faces come through the door, as well as turning Patrick Roberts' initial loan move from Sunderland into a permanent deal - gives them a desired advantage, with the Championship table still very much congested as the season nears its final quarter.

It had been well-documented in the lead-up to the window that Davies has endured a frustrating period when it comes to availability within his defensive department.

After completing a swift deal for the services of Kai Wagner in the opening days of the window, concerns were growing that Birmingham would not add a desired fourth centre-back to their squad following the early termination of Eiran Cashin's loan from Brighton and Hove Albion.

Those fears were put to bed in the final hours of Deadline Day. However, it is clear that Panzo was not the only centre-back who had emerged on the club's transfer radar.

Birmingham City targeted Brentford's Ethan Pinnock ahead of late Jonathan Panzo, Rio Ave agreement

After Football League World exclusively revealed that Cashin would be recalled by the Seagulls before spending the remainder of the season with Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham were left with three senior centre-back options.

Two of those come in the form of summer recruits, Phil Neumann and Jack Robinson. However, although the latter had been able to address his disastrous start of two red cards and an own-goal in his first four Blues outings, the former Sheffield United man is currently sidelined with a hamstring issue.

Neumann had also become the subject of surprise exit talk, but has remained a Blues player for at least the remainder of the season, as he continues to partner club captain, Christoph Klarer.

Many Bluenoses had speculated as to who the identity of a new centre-back would be if the club were to press forward in their bid to add further experience and depth, with Pinnock's name certainly doing the rounds on various social media platforms.

It has since been reported by Birmingham Live that the 26-time Jamaican international was identified, having played just six times for Brentford this season under the newly-appointed Keith Andrews.

Blues were also linked with a move for Jamaal Lascelles of Newcastle United, before the 32-year-old was given the green light to move to Leicester City.

However, they were able to confirm the six-month deal agreed between themselves and Rio Ave, which saw Panzo put pen-to-paper on a six-month contract.

Panzo has previously made 34 Championship appearances, winning promotion through the play-offs with Nottingham Forest in May 2022, as well as featuring for Coventry City and Cardiff City.

Birmingham City will not feel much transfer regret amid Ethan Pinnock revelation

Although Pinnock would bring a wealth of experience in the short-term for Blues, the truth is that the club and their supporters will not be feeling much transfer regret on this front.

Davies, Tom Wagner and Craig Gardner have certainly addressed the key areas which needed adding to with depth and quality, whilst also offloading as many as 12 fringe players or outcasts from their wage bill in the process.

Next up for Blues is a home clash with Leicester City on Saturday.