Birmingham City drop free agent hint - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain & Dele Alli have been linked | OneFootball

Birmingham City have officially registered their squad with the EFL after the transfer window closed

Birmingham City have left room in their squad to add a free agent signing amid links to Dele Alli and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

As per Birmingham Live, Chris Davies has overseen the registration of 24 players in his squad following the close of the summer transfer window.

Championship clubs are allowed a maximum of 25 players, and can still register free agents despite the market being shut.

Birmingham had a very busy summer following their promotion from League One, bringing nine new players in on a permanent basis, while also agreeing five loan deals.

Birmingham City leave space for free agent signing

It has been reported that Birmingham have officially registered 24 players in their Championship squad.

It has been claimed that both Lee Buchanan and Scott Wright have both been left out of the 25-man list, with injuries keeping them on the sideline for the time being.

It is expected that neither will be available for selection between now and when the registration window reopens at the start of 2026, which has led to the decision to keep them off the list.

However, it also leaves room for a free agent to be added, with one space remaining in Birmingham’s official EFL squad.

The Blues have been linked with a potential move for both Oxlade-Chamberlain and Dele Alli in recent weeks, albeit no agreements have been reported.

It was claimed by the Daily Mail earlier this month that the Midlands outfit are among the clubs eyeing a move for the ex-Tottenham Hotspur player, Alli, who is available after his exit from Como. Football League World's previous understanding of that interest was that there was "no substance" to Birmingham bringing Alli in, yet online speculation has continued.

Meanwhile, it was first reported by the Mirror in August that Birmingham are interested in Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the player currently available after his contract with Besiktas was terminated. FLW understands that Birmingham weren't seeing this deal as a priority in the summer, but things might have changed since then.

Next up for Davies’ side is a trip to face an in-form Stoke City side on 13 September in a 3pm kick-off.

Birmingham City have kept their options open

Birmingham won’t necessarily sign either of these free agents, but they have utilised their squad listing to ensure the space is there if they need it.

It could complicate things in January if Buchanan and Wright come back to fitness and there’s an extra player in the squad to pick from.

But player sales could always alleviate these issues once the January market opens, so that’d be a problem for another time.

Birmingham also don’t necessarily have to sign either of these two particular free agents, and could instead sign someone else, as they’ve now at least given them the option to make an addition to the squad if they need it.