Birmingham City could land Nikola Zigic 2.0 from £6m deal | OneFootball

August Priske's move to St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park is generating plenty of hype

Birmingham City have flexed their financial muscles under Knighthead Capital Management once again, as Djurgardens IF striker, August Priske, completed his switch from Djurgardens IF on Tuesday afternoon.

During the two-and-a-half years of Tom Wagner's ownership, Blues have no longer become satisfied with their current, and frustrating, predicament of residing in mid-table in the Championship, with the American looking to push things forward at a rather rapid pace.

In an aim to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2011 as quickly as possible, Wagner and the club's Advisory Board President, Tom Brady, have been able to entice several high-profile players to B9 through the 'project', which also includes an upcoming 62,000-seater stadium.

A matter of years ago, the thought of Birmingham investing such hefty sums of money in both transfer fees and wage packets was a pipe dream for those who watched the club's tumultuous fortunes unfold before them in a stadium which half-represented a building site.

However, after seeing the likes of Jay Stansfield and Kyogo Furuhashi arrive for eight-figure sums in a bid to bolster Chris Davies' attacking options, whilst it isn't quite an eight-figure sum this time around, the arrival of 21-year-old Danish youth international, Priske, is generating plenty of hype amongst Bluenoses.

Of course, there are some who will reserve full judgement on the forward until he has donned the royal blue on a handful of occasions, but it is fair to say that others have drawn comparisons between the Genk-born forward and a St. Andrew's cult hero, and not just because the transfer fee which has been mooted - £6m - mirrors that of what Blues paid Valencia for the services of Nikola Zigic in 2010.

August Priske's profile could become Nikola Zigic 2.0 for Birmingham City under Chris Davies

Throughout Davies' 18-month tenure at St. Andrew's, Blues supporters have become accustomed to seeing their team become a heavy-possession-based side, and, unsurprisingly, this has led to a split of opinions, mainly after returning to the Championship.

At times, those who have followed Birmingham on the road have certainly made their feelings known when Davies' men have struggled to attain anywhere near the levels of control they have enjoyed in games at St. Andrew's, and this, once again, was on show during the first period of the 1-1 draw at Swansea City.

It has been well-documented that Kyogo has failed to take an array of big chances that have come his way, but at times, the Japanese has also struggled to grow into games depending on the flow and approach which Blues have taken in order to attempt to take three points, whilst Marvin Ducksch and Stansfield have been Davies' main sources of goals.

However, whilst the Allsvenskan doesn't have as glowing a reputation as the Championship, a player of Priske's quality and attributes could flourish in Davies' system, as well as improving the fortunes of those around him in creative areas.

Although his underlying numbers from an 18-goal term in 2025 would point towards a 'poacher', the Dane has earned a reputation for being a "complete forward" due to his link-up and hold-up play, as well as a physical presence in terms of build and stamina.

Throughout 27 league appearances last term, Priske also won 46 percent of his duels on average, which will certainly benefit him in the Championship against physical centre-backs. So will the aforementioned qualities, as they may lead towards a sense of unpredictability due to his versatility, which could allow for an even greater involvement from Demarai Gray, Patrick Roberts, new Brighton loanee, Ibrahim Osman and the aforementioned Stansfield who, at times, has drifted in and out of games.

As such, Blues supporters have been drawing comparisons between Priske and Zigic, who, indeed, had his best season at the club in terms of productivity under Chris Hughton.

Albeit Zigic was roughly six inches taller than that of Priske, the Serbian was still able to strike up a good combination with Marlon King, and the duo went on to score 27 second tier goals between them as Blues made the play-offs.

Birmingham City will hope August Priske deal turns out to be a major coup

Although a reported fee of approximately £6m is still rather hefty, Blues will hope a deal for Priske turns out to be a major coup, particularly with the likes of Besiktas and LOSC Lille interested in his services.

Whilst still in the infancy of his career, the forward shares plenty of attributes with a handful of strikers who have been extremely effective for their sides this term, such as Oli McBurnie of Hull City and, in recent weeks, Ellis Simms at league leaders, Coventry City.

It has been discussed at length that Blues' transfer window HAS to be a success in order for the gap between themselves and the top six to be bridged in the season's final weeks and months.

Whilst it remains to be seen if Priske can handle the expectations and rigours of the Championship, there is belief that he could be a difference-maker for Davies both in the short and long-term.