Birmingham City should turn to 26-year-old as replacement for Hannibal Mejbri: Opinion | OneFootball

Birmingham City will aim to improve their league standings in the 2022/23 season.

The Blues had a fairly successful first season under John Eustace as they stayed clear of any real danger. However, the aim will now be for the club to push up the table and try to break into that top half.

The club is now heading into the new Championship season with new investment, as Shelby Companies Limited has completed its 45.98% stake in the football club.

While on the pitch, Birmingham have been busy in the transfer market with the additions of Siriki Dembele, Krystian Bielik, Tyler Roberts, Koji Miyoshi, Ethan Laird, and Dion Sanderson on permanent deals.

It is likely they are not going to be finished there, as Eustace will be keen to strengthen other areas of the pitch.

Which area of the pitch should Birmingham strengthen?

The Blues have lost some key players in the middle of the pitch, as Jobe Bellingham has joined Sunderland, Tahith Chong has left to sign for Luton Town, and it mustn’t be forgotten that the club won’t be able to call upon Hannibal Mejbri.

The midfielder has returned to his parent club, Manchester United, and is set to feature in their pre-season tour of the USA.

It is unclear at this stage what is going to happen with Hannibal, as Man United are yet to decide whether to send the player on loan once again or sell him.

Either way, Birmingham needs to be considering alternative options, and one player who should be looked at is free agent Josh Onomah.

Why should Birmingham City sign Josh Onomah?

Onomah currently finds himself without a club after leaving Preston North End last month when his contract expired.

Onomah joined the Lilywhites on a short-term deal in January after leaving Premier League club Fulham.

At only 26, Onomah still got lots to offer and considering his situation and Birmingham’s need of midfield reinforcements, Onomah could be a good option to explore.

Onomah is no stranger to this division as he’s got over 100 appearances in the Championship and has scored eight goals and grabbed 13 assists along the way. He is a player who has plenty of experience at this level and has proven himself for various teams.

Onomah’s best season in the Championship came in the 2019/20 season, as Fulham won promotion to the Premier League. Onomah grabbed four goals and three assists that campaign, but he also stood out for other reasons.

The midfielder averaged 1.1 shots per game he played, and part of his game has seen him develop his ability to run with the ball from midfield into the more advanced areas, as shown in that season as he did it 1.2 times per game, as per WhoScored.com.

Onomah is a player who is comfortable with the ball at his feet, as he averaged 26.8 passes, with 82.5% being successful and out of them passes 0.8 were considered key ones.

In his spell at Sheffield Wednesday Onomah showcased his passing ability as he averaged more passes, 31.3 and had a better successful passing rate of 83.4%.

The midfielder will bring this with him, but he also brings more energy and dynamism in the middle of the park, something you could say may be missing from Birmingham after the departure of certain players.

Birmingham do have options in the middle of the park, but with what they had last season with Hannibal, a player who can operate in more advanced roles as well as deeper ones, they need to find that again, and Onomah could be the perfect replacement.

The 26-year-old has plenty of know-how at this level and has shown he can operate in deeper roles, and when needed, he can be closer to the frontmen. Onomah on a free transfer seems like a bargain for any Championship club, and with it unlikely Birmingham re-signing Hannibal, they couldn’t go wrong bringing in Onomah even if it’s on a 12-month deal.