Birmingham City must gatecrash Wolves and West Ham's Jordan James chase ASAP | OneFootball

The Welshman is wanted by a plethora of promotion-chasing sides late in the window

Birmingham City have had an intriguing summer window so far, and with approximately three weeks remaining until Deadline Day, Chris Davies will be hoping to add more depth, quality and experience to his squad at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Blues started their competitive season with an away win at Swansea City in the EFL Cup first round, which, in some ways, has already helped address a major shortcoming from the previous campaign, with Davies' side only winning five times away from the Second City.

On top of this, supporters have been somewhat encouraged by the fact the squad has been added to with Championship knowhow, particularly the signing of Dael Fry on a free transfer after he departed Middlesbrough.

Blues will be hoping that, whilst Boro themselves have proven to be hefty investors in the summer market, that is a deal which Kim Hellberg's side will live to regret, and on top of this, the side from the West Midlands should potentially look to defeat last season's play-off finalists and the newly-relegated trio of West Ham United, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the race for former academy graduate, Jordan James.

Jordan James has become a top performer at Championship level in recent seasons

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Blues fans, of course, will know more than most about the potential which the Welsh international is capable of fulfilling, and at this point, many would argue that the 22-year-old could hold his own with a Premier League side when taking his recent trajectory into account.

The club's academy at Wast Hills has been in an intriguing position in recent times, but those looking to progress through the Birmingham ranks will certainly be inspired by the careers which Jude and Jobe Bellingham, as well as James, have gone on to have thus far, despite still being relatively young.

After breaking into the first-team fold under John Eustace, the playmaker burst into life during the chaotic 2023/24 season at St. Andrew's, and was nominated for the Championship's Young Player of the Season award after scoring eight times despite Blues' relegation.

Somewhat unfortunately for the Hereford-born man, it has been a theme which has followed him around despite an £8m switch to Stade Rennais inbetween, having won the exact same award last season after scoring 11 times and providing four assists in the Leicester City side which suffered a second successive relegation under Marti Cifuentes and Gary Rowett.

Jordan James could unlock serious creative potential for Birmingham City

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Whilst it is clear his creative spark has remained, James is evidently a much more well-rounded and matured player compared to the one which moved to France two summers ago, and if Blues were in the race for his signature in what remains of the window, it could unlock some serious creative potential.

Throughout his own two-year stint as manager, Davies has often favoured a 4-2-3-1 setup, in both League One and the Championship, and in fairness, this has worked to a much greater effect in home matches, where only three sides have left St. Andrew's with three points since his appointment.

In the past year, both Jay Stansfield and Marvin Ducksch have featured in the 'number 10' role behind the focal point of the attack, which this season so far, would be August Priske, who has already notched a handful of goals in pre-season as well as the winner against the Swans.

Yet, whilst versatility has its perks, it has, at times, become a hindrance to the aforementioned duo, one of which - Ducksch - has also been linked with a move away.

Therefore, if James was able to add further assists to his game in a side which likes to dominate possession, has deep-lying midfielders behind him capable of turning the ball from defence into attack rather quickly, as well as the likes of Stansfield, Carlos Vicente and Priske in and around him, it is a rather mouth-watering prospect, with the added bonus of it being a 'sentimental' deal.

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James isn't short of admirers this summer, with Crystal Palace and Fulham said to have held an interest, as well as the likes of Serie A side, Atalanta.

However, it has been claimed that a return to the Championship cannot be ruled out, although Middlesbrough are believed to be facing a huge hurdle concerning the midfielder's wage demands, with Rennes open to a £10m sale.

This would mean Birmingham would pay around £2m more than what James was sold to Roahzon Park for, but given the fact the club have paid the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi £40,000 per week in the second tier, Knighthead might be able to supplement Davies with such funds if he wanted to reunite with James.

However, the other side of the coin is that, after investing heavily in wages for the likes of Kyogo, Blues will want to be efficient in the market, even though James has proven himself to be a high-level player in the division whilst also racking up 129 appearances.