Birmingham City must eye late Hull City raid as Stoke City consider swap deal | OneFootball

Birmingham City should try and sign Liam Millar from Hull City ahead of any Stoke City deal involving Sorba Thomas.

Birmingham City will be expecting to mount a promotion challenge this season, but their squad perhaps need a bit more strengthening before Tuesday's transfer deadline.

Birmingham underwhelmed despite a top-half finish last season, having been outspoken in their ambition following their 111-point title-winning campaign in League One.

The Blues have been more circumspect in the transfer window this summer but have still managed to bring in some seemingly more than decent signings in Jhon Solis, Dael Fry, Luis Vazquez, Kristoffer Lund, Max Bird and James Beadle.

City would appear well set to challenge for at least the top eight and the expanded play-off places this season – but more may well need to be done to enhance Chris Davies’ chances of not only remaining trusted by the club’s hierarchy but also building towards the Premier League.

Depth and quality in the final third will always be something that is craved and something that Canada international winger Liam Millar could provide at St. Andrew’s.

Birmingham City could do with the width and creativity of Liam Millar

The signing of Luis Vazquez from Anderlecht, following a loan stint with Getafe in La Liga last season, has bolstered Birmingham’s forward options this summer, and they do still boast an array of big-name and big-money strikers.

Club-record signing Jay Stansfield headlines a group that consists of August Priske and Marvin Ducksch, but out wide, the cupboard would appear a little more bare.

Demarai Gray has enjoyed a relatively strong start to the season and does remain a key man, while Carlos Vicente, who signed from Deportivo Alaves in January, has also shown his quality but appears to be exclusively a direct right-sided winger.

Beyond that, though, City’s wide players include Scott Wright and Patrick Roberts, the latter of whom is the subject of speculation from elsewhere, with the pair having combined for just 30 Championship appearances last season, and the former responsible for just three before a loan move to Dundee in January.

As a result, while Birmingham may well look to strengthen elsewhere as well, with links to former Burnley second-tier title-winning captain Josh Brownhill, a winger or two is surely high up on the list of priorities before the close of the window.

Liam Millar, with his versatility to thrive in a variety of systems but also simply as an out-and-out winger in either a 4-4-2, as he has done for Canada and did do at FIFA World Cup 2026 this summer, or in a 4-2-3-1, as Davies prefers, would seem an ideal fit.

Birmingham should swoop for Millar ahead of possible Stoke City swap deal

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As has perhaps been proven by the reported loaning of Ryan Giles to Burnley, a player that started and earned the Premier League’s Man of the Match award in their shock 2-0 victory over Manchester United on the opening day, it does not appear that is anyone is safe at The Tigers.

Hull have spent heavily both on quality and quantity this summer, with their business only expected to remain hectic before Tuesday’s deadline – and that could see Millar depart the MKM Stadium in East Yorkshire.

Reports have indicated that Hull’s interest in Stoke City’s Wales international attacker Sorba Thomas could well have implications for Millar, too, with the Canadian potentially being used as a makeweight in any potential deal to bring the cash price down.

It would therefore be fair to suggest that if Millar is on the market, then Birmingham should very much get themselves involved and try to poach him a clean straight deal ahead of any move involving Thomas and Stoke.

Liam Millar would provide Birmingham City with quality and pedigree

Having come through the academies of Fulham and Liverpool before turning professional with the latter, Millar spent time on loan at Kilmarnock and Charlton Athletic before a permanent move to Swiss giants Basel in 2021.

At Basel, Millar began to show his qualities with speed and directness, key attributes ahead of an initial loan deal at Preston North End in the 2023-24 season.

After showing glimpses of real quality in an inconsistent campaign for both the club and player, Millar’s potential was recognised by Hull, who signed him on a permanent deal in 2024.

Hardly prolific, scoring just four goals in 44 second-tier appearances for The Tigers, Millar’s quality comes in his industry and energy, as was displayed at the FIFA World Cup.

Criticism of Birmingham could be that their obsession with possession can become stagnant and easier to play against, but a direct runner and, for want of a better phrase, a ‘nuisance’ such as Millar would help with those issues.

With strong first eleven wingers and a few potentially prolific strikers, Millar shouldn’t be under pressure to contribute enormously with a regular starting berth or groundbreaking numbers in terms of goals and assists, but the depth and his profile could be ideal for City as they seek to take the next step.