Birmingham City should push hard to fend off Leicester and Southampton in transfer race: Opinion | OneFootball

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Birmingham look to maintain the feel-good factor at St. Andrew’s by bolstering the attacking department.

A new chapter under new ownership for Birmingham City has presented a positive start to the campaign with a new-look Blues squad ready to take the division by storm.

Nine new players have come through the doors already with John Eustace looking to improve the squad in all departments.

The return of Dion Sanderson at the back is a welcomed one and is joined by Ethan Laird and Lee Buchanan with Krystian Bielik just in front of the defence in an attempt to become more defensively resolute.

Setting up the chances down the other end, meanwhile, is Siriki Dembélé and Koji Miyoshi with young forward Jay Stansfield hoping to be on the end of their creative moves.

The new Blues recruits have hit the ground running with an unbeaten start to the season. An opening weekend draw against Swansea City set the Second City outfit on their way.

An EFL Cup win against Cheltenham Town was the catalyst to their winning run, beating Leeds United, Bristol City and Plymouth Argyle to put themselves third in the Championship after four games.

Looking to strengthen their promotion push, Blues have been linked with another Premier League forward tasked with adding to their recent dominance.

Who is Andi Zeqiri?

Brighton & Hove Albion forward Andi Zeqiri is the latest player to be linked with a move to St. Andrew’s, according to Charlie Gordon of the Daily Express.

The 24-year-old is also reportedly being monitored by Championship front-runners Leicester City and Southampton as they both eye an instant return to the top flight.

French outfit LOSC Lille are also still in talks with the forward with a decision on his future expected soon, meaning a pursuit for Blues will not be a straightforward one.

The Swiss international joined the Seagulls in 2020 after impressing for hometown club FC Lausanne-Sport in the Swiss Super League.

He has since made nine Premier League appearances for the club before enjoying loan spells at German side Augsburg and most recently FC Basel as he continues to impress on the senior stage.

How did Zeqiri perform last season?

A return to Switzerland proved to be the springboard to Zeqiri’s proficiency in front of goal, hitting double figures for the first time in his career.

After scoring just two goals in Germany, he registered 11 goals as FCB secured European football last term - finishing as the club’s second-highest scorer behind Burnley’s new signing Zeki Amdouni.

Zeqiri once again shone on the continental stage too, scoring five goals from nine starts in the Europa Conference League, making the semi-finals of the tournament.

He now returns to the English south coast where he awaits the next step in his footballing journey.

Would Zeqiri be a good signing for Birmingham?

Game time at the Amex Stadium is once again expected to be limited with Danny Welbeck and Evan Ferguson the go-to forwards for Roberto De Zerbi.

As a result, another move away - whether it be a loan or permanent transfer - is the logical next step for the 24-year-old with regular game time a necessity.

A point of concern for Blues last season was the lack of a goalscorer, Scott Hogan the only player to hit double figures but ended the season poorly, a barren 14-game run without a goal to end the season.

Veteran Lukas Jutkiewicz, meanwhile, has started the season strongly, scoring twice so far, including the winning penalty against Leeds United. The 34-year-old, however, is unlikely to be the regular source of goals he once was even if he is a valuable, physical presence to lead the Blues attack.

This leaves new signing Jay Stansfield, an exciting if not unproven forward at this level, coming off his first full season in senior football with Exeter City - scoring nine League One goals with seven assists.

Already off and running with the late winner against Plymouth Argyle, Stansfield offers a different dynamic to what Zeqiri would provide.

His aerial and physical presence was a major source of his goals during his stint at Basel, while he was equally adept on the ground, neat footwork to get away from defenders to create and score chances to equal effect.

Competition up top will only be a good thing for Eustace as with the competitive nature of strikers it is certain to motivate each player that little bit more when a place in the starting eleven is not a guarantee.