Birmingham City: Pundit identifies "slightly odd" thing Alfie May was doing v Walsall | OneFootball

Adrian Clarke has given his view on Alfie May's change of position for Birmingham City against Walsall on Tuesday night.

Pundit Adrian Clarke has questioned how Birmingham City manager Chris Davies will be able to fit strikers Alfie May and Jay Stansfield into the same team.

The Blues are playing in the third tier of English football for the first time in almost 30 years this season after their relegation from the Championship last term, and they spent big this summer as they look to bounce back at the first attempt.

It was claimed that the ambitious Birmingham board had given Davies a £20 million budget to spend on transfer fees and wages, and it seems they may even have exceeded that figure, with 17 new signings arriving at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park during the course of the transfer window.

The Blues had already broken the League One transfer record twice during the summer as they spent fees in the region of £3.5 million on Willum Thor Willumsson and Christoph Klarer, but they smashed it once again on deadline day to re-sign Fulham striker Jay Stansfield on a permanent basis for a reported fee of more than £15 million.

With Birmingham bringing in four strikers this summer, many have questioned how Davies will fit them into the team, but the 1-1 home draw against League Two side Walsall in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy on Tuesday night, which the Saddlers won on penalties, may have offered a glimpse into how he will accommodate May and Stansfield.

May has enjoyed an excellent start to his Blues career, scoring four goals in the first four league games of the season while playing as a central striker, but he started in a deeper role in midweek with Stansfield leading the line, and Davies hinted post-match that it is something he could look to continue with going forward.

Adrian Clarke on Birmingham City's Alfie May and Jay Stansfield dilemma

Clarke watched Birmingham in action against Walsall on Tuesday night, and he believes it was a strange decision from Davies to deploy May in a position where he was unable to get into the box.

"It was good, Walsall played really well and won on penalties," Clarke said on the What The EFL?! podcast?.

"They were worth that.

"It was an odd performance from Birmingham, obviously they made a lot of changes, but mostly filled the team with new signings.

"I think the Alfie May positioning was a big takeaway, he was barely in the box, certainly in the first half. "In the second half, from the number 10 position and from the right wing, he did get into the box and have a few shots.

"He was the one putting the balls into the area, which I thought was slightly odd, so it's one to keep your eye on as they look to accommodate Jay Stansfield and Lyndon Dykes."

Chris Davies facing big Alfie May decision at Birmingham City

Of course, Davies will be delighted to have such strong options at his disposal, but there is pressure on the Birmingham boss to find a way to fit May and Stansfield into the same team, while he also has to keep the likes of Ayumu Yokoyama, Lyndon Dykes and Lukas Jutkiewicz happy.

Davies admitted after the Walsall game that his team selection was "a bit of an experiment", but judging by Clarke's comments, it did not bring the best out of May or Stansfield.

May has been in prolific form so far this season, and while Davies will be keen to accommodate Stansfield given the huge fee the club paid for him, he must be careful not to disrupt too much of what has been a winning formula in the early weeks of the campaign.