£8.8m-rated Birmingham City transfer target is 'not what we need’ as January window looms | OneFootball

Birmingham City have been linked with a move for Basel's Philip Otele in the January transfer window.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Birmingham City have been told that they need to beef up the squad in January to contend for promotion, although a move for FC Basel winger Philip Otele has been questioned given the fee that would be required.

Blues have been hugely ambitious in the transfer market under their US owners, and, despite winning promotion back to the Championship last season, many expected Chris Davies’ men to be in the mix to go up once again.

There’s still work to do on that front, and the January window could be crucial, with Blues sure to do what they can to improve the squad.

Birmingham City tracking Basel attacker Philip Otele - Blues told to avoid swoop though

The recruitment team at St. Andrew’s will already be working on potential new signings, and it has been claimed that Birmingham are interested in Otele.

The Basel winger was impressive as they won the Swiss top division last season, and whilst he hasn’t hit the same heights, Otele has seven goal contributions in 17 appearances.

However, any deal won’t be straightforward, as reports state that Crystal Palace are also keen on the Nigerian, who could command a fee of €10 million (£8.78 million).

Therefore, that would be a significant outlay for Blues, even with their big spending recently, and it means the 26-year-old would arrive with a big reputation if he did join.

Yet, with Otele’s best position as a left-winger, it has left some wondering whether he should be a priority, as Demarai Gray has been one of Blues’ best players this season from the left flank.

So, when asked by FLW about whether the Midlands outfit should be pushing to sign Otele, Birmingham fan pundit Jason Moore admitted that the squad does need strengthening, even if he acknowledged that the Basel man would expect to play if he joined for such a fee.

“I don’t think we desperately need a winger, but if we were to go and get someone like that, with money to spend, I think it’s more we need a squad," Jason told FLW.

“If you look at our actual squad, the bench, in terms of impacting games and options off the bench, it’s not very good currently.

`'Granted, I don’t think we’re going to spend £8m on Otele and not start him, because that’s a big chunk of money in the Championship, but we do need to do something to make that bench better.

“So, if that’s what they’re looking at, then I’m all for it, because the bench isn’t good enough in terms of impacting games, especially if you need to chase something.

"We’ve got Lyndon Dykes who makes an impact, and that’s about it. Kyogo doesn’t do anything, Keshi Anderson’s not good enough and Lewis Koumas will be going back to Liverpool.

“I guess they’re feeling out what we need in the squad, but it does feel as though we’re linked with every Tom, Dick and Harry at this point, but if the club wants Otele, bring him in, even if it’s probably not what we need.”

Birmingham City must make the right January additions to help promotion push

There’s no doubt that Otele would be an exciting signing for Birmingham, as he would arrive with a good pedigree, and he has qualities that could see him thrive in the Championship.

But, there would be questions over if he is what they need, even if he could play in different attacking roles for Davies.

Despite the investment that has gone into the squad in the past 18 months, Blues are lacking someone who can change the game from the bench. As outlined above, the Kyogo deal hasn’t worked out, and Koumas is another who hasn’t delivered in the way the boss wants.

That’s not to say they are desperately short, but one attacking signing could make all the difference, and having fierce competition for places is what every club wants. Plus, it could drive the standards, and get even more out of the likes of Gray and Jay Stansfield.

Whether it’s Otele or someone else, you would expect Blues to do all they can to bring in at least one attacker next month, and it could have a big bearing on how their season plays out.