Birmingham City and Stoke City will share the same frustration over 9-cap international | OneFootball

Lewis Koumas has endured two underwhelming loan stints in the Championship

Birmingham City and Stoke City supporters will be hoping their sides can both earn a spot in the Championship play-offs come the end of the season, with the Midlands clubs returning to form in the past few days.

However, it is also fair to say that those in North Staffordshire may not be all-too surprised to see that Lewis Koumas may be the subject of one of many potential changes to Chris Davies' squad at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park between now and Monday, February 2nd.

It has been a season of mixed fortunes for Blues thus far upon their return to the Championship, a predicament epitomised by the differing reviews given on the 14 permanent or loan signings recruited by Davies and director of football, Craig Gardner, across what was yet another extremely active summer transfer window filled with high-profile additions.

A handful of those incomings, such as Koumas' attacking counterparts in the form of Sunderland loanee, Patrick Roberts, and Birmingham academy graduate, Demarai Gray, have certainly stole the limelight on this particular front, with swathes of Bluenoses already clamouring for the former to make his temporary switch from the Stadium of Light a permanent transfer in due course, whilst owner, Tom Wagner, and Davies, have issued their own stances on the matter.

As a result, Koumas has certainly had to bide his time, although his parent club, Liverpool, will feel slightly irked that one of their previously brightest prospects, who made his first-team breakthrough in the second half of Jürgen Klopp's final season at Anfield, has not been able to source the regular minutes that could help shape him into an eventual regular with last season's Premier League champions.

There are a handful of factors as to why such developments have occurred since his loan move to the West Midlands was confirmed in late August.

However, having failed to leave the Bet365 Stadium with a serious impression at the end of last season, the nine-cap Wales international may not even be afforded a similar amount of time to turn his fortunes around in royal blue, which, in itself, offers a small sense of irony given his recent performance against league leaders, Coventry City.

As previously mentioned, Koumas was a part of the group of Anfield youngsters who were thrust into the first-team fold in early 2024, being dubbed as 'Klopp's Kids' when the Reds defeated Chelsea to win the EFL Cup at Wembley Stadium.

Although the son of former West Bromwich Albion cult figure, Jason, did not feature in the aforementioned showpiece event, he would mark his Liverpool senior debut and only appearance for the club's first-team thus far with a goal against Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round 23 months ago.

After making his senior breakthrough for Wales just four months later against Gibraltar, there was a strong sense of anticipation when Koumas joined the Potters on loan for the entirety of last season, initially under Steven Schumacher, who was controversially sacked in September 2024.

The versatile attacker would go on to make 26 league starts for the Reds under the Liverpudlian, Narcis Pelach and latterly, Mark Robins. However, despite gaining pivotal exposure into the senior game for a prolonged period, Koumas definitely struggled to make a name for himself, scoring just three times and posting a further two assists, leaving the locals somewhat underwhelmed.

Despite his signature being courted by Hull City and Sheffield United, Koumas linked up with Blues in August, making his debut in the EFL Cup defeat against Port Vale a matter of days later.

"I want to be wanted by a manager and I know he knows a lot about me," the 20-year-old said of Davies after his loan agreement was finalised, as he returned to Championship action against Leicester City on August 30th.

However, the 2-0 defeat at the King Power Stadium represented just one of five starts for Koumas at St. Andrew's, which has led to serious question marks over his immediate future.

Davies issued his thoughts on the matter last month, before Football League World exclusively revealed that a termination of his loan is set to be on the cards, following on from Eiran Cashin's own loan stint was cut short as the defender subsequently moved to Blackburn Rovers.

Such news came after Koumas was handed his first start since October 21st against the Sky Blues, where his composed 17th-minute finish helped Blues to an unexpected, yet timely victory, whilst continuing to impress throughout his 65 minutes of action.

Therefore, it seems rather ironic that, during a time when he is benefitting from the aforementioned Gray's absence through injury, Bluenoses are set to feel their own continued sense of transfer frustration involving the attacker.