If Birmingham City sign Sunderland's Patrick Roberts - Burnley defender and £5m-rated forward should follow | OneFootball

Blues are in the thick of a potentially defining transfer window

It has been a busy start to the winter transfer window for Birmingham City, who are hoping to restore a sense of momentum at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in the second half of the campaign.

Blues were amongst the sides battling it out for a play-off spot at the beginning of December, before ending a winless run of seven Championship matches - their worst run of form under Chris Davies - with a statement 3-2 victory over league leaders, Coventry City, last time out.

Even prior to the West Midlands derby at St. Andrew's, the club had firmly set their stall out in terms of potential activity across the second transfer window of the season, with Kai Wagner providing strong quality and competition at left-back following his switch from Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.

The German full-back then had an instant impact on debut against the Sky Blues, providing Marvin Ducksch with the opener, before Patrick Roberts became Blues creator-in-chief once again, posting assists for both Lewis Koumas and Ducksch, who slotted the winner home after 63 minutes.

It has become a hot topic of discussion as to whether Roberts will see his loan switch from Sunderland turned into a permanent move ahead of schedule, with it being claimed that the Black Cats are willing to offload the 28-year-old six months before his contract expires.

The winger has scored twice and posted four assists thus far, yet has provided Davies with quality that outshines just goal contributions.

Football League World understand that as many as eight players could depart B9 in the coming weeks, allowing for a reshuffle of sorts to take place, which began on Tuesday evening as Eiran Cashin's loan agreement from Brighton and Hove Albion was cut short.

With a potential permanent deal for Roberts generating plenty of discourse, FLW have looked at two further additions that could follow on between now and February 2nd.

Bashir Humphreys

With that Cashin seeing his loan terminated at St. Andrew's befor subsequently joining,Blackburn Rovers for the remainder of the season, it is expected that Birmingham will be in the market for further defensive depth.

The Irishman found it hard to edge his way past the likes of Christoph Klarer, Phil Neumann and Jack Robinson, meaning it might not be the greatest of surprises that this particular agreement is likely to be cut short.

As such, it may prove challenging for Blues to entice players who will help pack out their squad for the remaining 19 fixtures as gametime cannot fully be guaranteed.

However, a defensive option Davies should look to consider is Burnley's versatile figure, Bashir Humphreys.

The 22-year-old is a centre-back by trade, but, like Cashin, has the ability to slot in at full-back when required, as showcased in the Clarets' promotion-winning season under Scott Parker.

So far this season, the England Under-21 international has found gametime hard to come by in the Premier League, despite starting in all four of the East Lancashire side's outings between Christmas and the first weekend of 2026.

As was exclusively reported by Football League World last month, a host of Championship sides were lining up loan swoops for the defender ahead of January, with one of those being fellow play-off hopefuls, Hull City.

Although Blues have recruited the aforementioned Wagner at left-back, Alfons Sampsted is another defender who could be moved on in the coming weeks, despite the fact his right-back colleagues, Ethan Laird and Bright Osayi-Samuel, are currently unavailable due to injury and AFCON call-ups respectively.

Therefore, if Humphreys was to be content with a rotating role at St. Andrew's, it is a loan deal which could benefit all involved.

Davis Keillor-Dunn

There are also question marks over the immediate futures of both Willum Willumsson and Lyndon Dykes, with the latter receiving transfer interest from Charlton Athletic.

Another man who was previously of interest to the Addicks is Barnsley ace, Davis Keillor-Dunn, and it is fair to say the 28-year-old could be a welcome addition in the Second City too.

Despite never featuring above League One level in his career thus far, the forward has never lost track of where the goal is, scoring 33 goals in just 74 appearances for the Tykes thus far.

Although Blues have recruited several high-profile forwards, a clear regret amongst supporters is that they sanctioned the sale of Alfie May to fellow third tier side, Huddersfield Town, in the summer, with many believing the frontman could have played a cameo role well in the Championship.

It has now been exclusively reported by FLW that Barnsley are looking to cash in on Keillor-Dunn's services this transfer window after his 11-goal haul to-date.

Birmingham may have to part with a sizeable fee to land a potential deal, with the South Yorkshire side said to previously be commanding a fee north of £5m for their prized asset.