Why Birmingham City should try sign Man Utd's Harry Amass & £10m man in the first week of January | OneFootball

FLW has looked at two players who could help Blues' current situation

Birmingham City could be set for a rather decisive January transfer window, which is their fourth opportunity, overall, to conduct business under the management of Chris Davies.

Blues are one of the Championship's most ambitious clubs, with ownership group, Knighthead Capital Management continuing to publicly back the aforementioned 40-year-old towards a potential shot at promotion shortly after regaining their status in the division after achieving record-breaking levels of success in League One.

As a result of the American investment group's hopes of seeing Birmingham return to the top-flight sooner rather than later, the spotlight has certainly been cast on developments at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in several ways.

Aside from the glaringly obvious transformations off the pitch, which include recently unveiled plans for the upcoming 62,000-seater 'Powerhouse' stadium as part of a multi-billion pound Sports Quarter reinvestment in East Birmingham, Blues have certainly caught the attention of many through their activity in the transfer market.

Such developments also reached record-breaking heights in the infancy of their only League One campaign since 1994/95, with the divisional transfer record broken on multiple occasions, before Jay Stansfield returned to the West Midlands on a permanent basis from Fulham on a seven-year deal which smashed the club's own record.

14 new recruits were also sourced in the previous summer window on permanent or loan deals, although it must be said that Birmingham are at risk of their first eight-figure mishap, as Kyogo Furuhashi continues to frustrate supporters after his high-profile switch from Stade Rennais in July.

Football League World exclusively revealed at the start of December where the club's priorities lie when it comes to upcoming transfer activity.

With that in mind, we have also pinpointed two players who could make for ideal signings at the very start of the window, which opens on January 1st.

Harry Amass

Within the aforementioned exclusive revelation, it was stated by FLW that Birmingham are in the market for extended depth in the left-back position.

This particular area of Davies' squad has been a clear area of weakness in terms of depth for many weeks and months, despite the quality which Alex Cochrane has provided on a regular basis since his switch from SPFL side, Hearts, for £1.3m in July 2024.

The 25-year-old has already racked up over 70 appearances in royal blue and has been a dependable figure when it comes to doing his defensive work as well as creating chances from deep, but he has rarely faced competition.

That is due to the consistent injury misfortune suffered by Lee Buchanan, who is set to depart on loan in order to source regular football and gametime after 12 months out with a serious knee issue.

Therefore, it would make sense for Birmingham to target young Manchester United wing-back, Harry Amass, whose future at Sheffield Wednesday remains up in the air.

Despite being just 18 years of age, Amass has played with maturity beyond his years for the Owls in testing circumstances, with the Red Devils paying for every penny of his loan switch to Hillsborough.

Henrik Pedersen remains hopeful that he will stay in S6 for the season, but it has been claimed that there is strong interest in the youngster's services whilst United weigh up a decision.

Despite starting week-in, week-out for Wednesday, Amass would have to be content with shared minutes between himself and Cochrane, although facing a different challenge and pressure at St. Andrew's would also be beneficial for his long-term development.

Such a predicament could also depend on what occurs with Blues' current loanees, with only five permitted in a matchday squad.

Tom Watson

Such circumstances would also impact a potential move for Tom Watson of Brighton and Hove Albion.

However, with it unknown as to whether Lewis Koumas will remain in B9 post-January amid talk of a recall from Liverpool, the Seagulls winger would be an ideal replacement.

Like the Welsh international, Watson offers previous second-tier pedigree after coming through the ranks at Sunderland, eventually signing for Brighton for £10m in April, a month before his dramatic winner at Wembley Stadium saw the Black Cats promoted at Sheffield United's expense.

Brighton boss, Fabian Hürzeler, previously stated that Watson's lack of minutes was due to "adaptation". Scouts from Derby County, Hull City and Preston North End then watched his performance in a 6-0 EFL Cup rout over Barnsley, before reports emerged that FC Porto were also monitoring his availability.

However, a key advantage which Blues may find if they were to join this race is Watson will be familiar with a handful of players such as James Beadle, Eiran Cashin and his former Sunderland colleague, Patrick Roberts, who many Bluenoses hope will become a permanent member of the squad.