Birmingham City must snub transfer interest in £0 ace to avoid another Chris Davies headache | OneFootball

Phil Neumann's potential departure from St. Andrew's could present the Blues boss with a further unwanted issue to solve

Birmingham City certainly haven't had the easiest of returns to the Championship, despite the ambition which continues to be shown at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Such circumstances can, to an extent, explain why Chris Davies, his director of football, Craig Gardner and Blues' majority owner, Tom Wagner, have deemed it necessary to conduct a fairly-sized squad reshuffle throughout the current winter transfer window, which is nearing its conclusion.

Davies' side had enjoyed an upsurge in form at the turn of the year, but endured a minor setback in their quest for a play-off place in their most recent Championship encounter against Stoke City at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, as they were unable to record back-to-back victories for the first time in two months, with the game ending in a 1-1 scoreline that hardly benefited either of the two Midlands outfits.

Football League World exclusively revealed at the beginning of the transfer window that as many as eight players could see exits sanctioned on a permanent basis, or through the early termination of their loan spells, and that exact number have already departed in the form of Alfons Sampsted, Eiran Cashin, Dion Sanderson, Marc Leonard, Emil Hansson, Lewis Koumas, Keshi Anderson and Lyndon Dykes.

However, whilst exit talk does continue to surround players on the fringes of Davies' squad, such as Willum Willumsson, it now remains to be seen whether Blues will be able to retain the services of German centre-back, Phil Neumann, who is attracting interest from a trio of top-flight sides on the continent, just months after his pre-contract agreement saw him officially become a member of the club's squad on a free transfer.

Although, from a financial standpoint, there could be some temptation for Birmingham to register a swift profit on the 28-year-old, they simply must snub any advances, or else Davies could be left with yet another dilemma when it comes to squad depth.

Phil Neumann has attracted Serie A and Bundesliga transfer interest in short Birmingham City spell

Neumann's services had been courted by Davies for some time, with Birmingham even seeing a €4m bid knocked back by the Recklinghausen-born defender's former employers, Hannover 96, in July 2024.

After also failing to land his services for the second half of their record-breaking League One season, it came as an eventual relief when Blues and the Saxony-based club agreed the aforementioned deal, which, in the circumstances, was viewed as a bargain.

The 6'3" figure was one of 14 players who moved to this part of the West Midlands in the summer, adding further quality alongside Christoph Klarer, who had also been sourced from the 2.Bundesliga 12 months' previous, signing from SV Darmstadt.

Neumann would immediately slot alongside the Austrian skipper amid Krystian Bielik's departure to West Bromwich Albion. But, it is fair to say that his start to life at St. Andrew's has also been extremely mixed.

After starting a handful of matches in the Championship and EFL Cup throughout August, Neumann was subsequently dropped in favour of Deadline Day acquisition, Jack Robinson, following the 1-0 defeat at Stoke on September 13th.

However, a run of two red cards in four matches, as well as an indifferent run of form for Cashin saw him return to action against Preston North End, where he opened his Blues account to secure a timely 1-0 win at Deepdale on October 21st.

Since then, like Blues' season, the German's form has been mixed, although when fully on song, himself and Klarer have showcased the hallmarks of yet another strong defensive partnership.

And, although the length of his contract in B9 is yet to be disclosed, it has been reported that Sassuolo and Hellas Verona of Serie A and Bundesliga side, VfL Wolfsburg, are now in a transfer battle for the two-goal free transfer.

Chris Davies cannot afford another defensive-related dilemma at Birmingham City

Despite having a mixture of highly-rated and experienced individuals within his defensive department, it has been a challenging season on this particular front for Davies.

The Blues boss has particularly struggled with availability and fitness issues at right-back and left-back, and despite the recent transfer of Kai Wagner from Philadelphia Union, it has been claimed that another left-sided defender could be acquired in the final week of transfer business due to injury and fitness concerns over both Alex Cochrane and Lee Buchanan.

It has also been reported that Davies would like to add another centre-back to his squad following the termination of Cashin's loan spell, and, if a replacement cannot be sourced, it is imperative Neumann goes nowhere.

Beyond himself, Klarer and Robinson, Blues are extremely short-changed when it comes to senior figures who can naturally slot in at centre-back, emphasised by the fact no cover was provided on that front in his squad selection against the Potters.

Failing to address such shortcomings would only add a further layer of frustration and question marks, which could be done without as the Second City outfit hope to achieve a first play-off berth at this level since 2012.