Birmingham City told to eye Norwich City star & avoid £17.3m winger - it'd be 'one hell of a risk' | OneFootball

Carlos Vicente has been the subject of reported interest from Blues

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Birmingham City have been urged to swerve a high-profile deal for Deportivo Alaves winger Carlos Vicente amid reports that the La Liga side have placed a hefty eight-figure valuation on the Spaniard amid transfer interest.

It has been made no secret just how pivotal the current winter transfer window could be in determining the outcome of Blues' season under Chris Davies, with his side currently in and amongst a clutch of sides residing on the periphery of the Championship play-offs as the campaign progresses through January.

As has been the case ever since Knighthead Capital Management took over at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, the West Midlands outfit have been linked with a plethora of potential high-profile additions in various departments of Davies' squad as he looks to address 'problem' areas.

The first of those had been done, to an extent, when Kai Wagner became the club's first signing of the window from Philadelphia Union, before Jhon Solis' initial loan switch - which can be turned permanent - from fellow La Liga side, Girona, was confirmed ahead of the 1-1 draw at Swansea City.

Since then, Ibrahim Osman has joined on loan for the remainder of the season from Brighton, whilst the high-profile signing of August Priske from Djurgardens was also confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.

Davies has since been left with a conundrum when it comes to his options out wide, with Demarai Gray - who is currently sidelined through a calf strain - and Patrick Roberts being two of Blues' strongest outlets since their summer moves.

Unsurprisingly, there is hope from Davies' perspective that Roberts' move from Sunderland can be turned permanent, whilst the loan addition of Osman has raised further questions about Lewis Koumas' own short-term stint from Liverpool.

Vicente emerged as a potential target for Birmingham after their record-breaking season in League One, and it appeared as though the second tier side had rekindled their interest in the 26-year-old wide player following the termination of Keshi Anderson's contract.

However, Football League World's Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, believes that the fee which Alaves are demanding would represent too big a financial risk for Blues, who have endured mixed fortunes when it comes to the two previous players they have spent eight-figure fees on.

Birmingham City urged to move on from Alaves, Carlos Vicente transfer deal amid £17.3m valuation claim

It was first called by Spanish journalist, Matteo Moretto, on Friday afternoon that Birmingham had "made contact" with Alaves over the potential signing of Vicente, who has emerged as a key performer at the Mendizorrotza Stadium over time, whilst his current employers outlined the fact they do not want to part ways with the winger at present.

With Vicente continuing to be linked with a move to St. Andrew's over the course of the weekend, it was reported by AS that Alaves have continued to adopt a 'not for sale' stance, and that the valuation placed on the nine-goal forward at present is inserted within his current contract at a sum of €20m (£17.3m).

Such a figure would represent a club-record signing for Blues, who have previously spent in excess of £10m on both Kyogo Furuhashi and Jay Stansfield in the past 18 months. However, Moore has urged the club to put a pin in this particular transfer pursuit.

"Absolutely not," he told FLW.

"I refuse to have us look like 'mugs', and just because we've got a bit of money, to pay it.

"He could be absolutely fantastic. But, that is one hell of a risk for any Championship side, it doesn't matter how much money you've got or how much revenue you make," he claimed.

"Unless you're coming down with the Premier League money, which we're not far off from what Tom Wagner says, then no.

"I just can't get on board with us spending that sort of money on a winger who's never played in England.

"The Championship is a seriously tough and competitive league, and you've got to have something about you. That's a big outlay on someone who could turn out to be average," Moore stated.

"There's better out there. 100 percent. If you're going to do that, I'd rather go and get the lad who's performing for Norwich (Jovon Makama) who's scored 13 times. I'd rather test them and see if we could get him.

"I would not be overly happy if we spent £17.3m on a winger from La Liga who's never played in England before. Don't do it and look elsewhere."

Birmingham City appear to have moved on from audacious Carlos Vicente deal amid bullish Alaves stance

It has been made clear that Alaves have no intention of selling Vicente as they look to ensure survival in La Liga, with Eduardo Coudet's side dropping into the bottom three over the weekend after a 1-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid.

However, it would also appear as though Blues have moved on to other targets as they completed the loan swoop of Osman from the Seagulls on Monday evening, and are now reportedly emerging as front-runners to sign fellow Brighton playmaker, Jeremy Sarmiento, who had been of interest to Middlesbrough on a temporary basis after a disappointing loan stint in Serie A with Cremonese.

As Moore alluded to, Vicente is clearly a player with a strong reputation in Spain, but when a Championship club is parting with such a fee, the deal cannot afford to be anything but a success.