Kyogo facing worrying Birmingham City replacement fear as £1.75m star's situation changes | OneFootball

Marvin Ducksch is almost ready to start games for Birmingham, and Kyogo could be the player sacrificed from the eleven

Kyogo Furuhashi is still waiting for his first league goal for Birmingham City, but many are wondering how it hasn't come through the opening four games.

The 30-year-old arrived with plenty of expectations, having cost the Blues up to £10 million, and holding a reputation for scoring goals for fun during his time at Celtic.

However, after a dud move to France, failing to score in his limited time at Rennes, it's seemingly taking a little longer than expected to shake off those cobwebs and get back to his goalscoring ways at St Andrew's.

Kyogo wasn't the only high-profile striker signing, however, as former two-time German international Marvin Ducksh also arrived at Birmingham this summer.

Costing only £1.75 million, he didn't hit as many headlines as the Japanese international, but he arrived with a similar reputation for scoring goals, whilst also setting them up, having contributed 32 goals and 27 assists in the last three Bundesliga seasons for Werder Bremen.

He also arrived injured, having suffered a calf issue over the summer, but he's recently been cleared to play, making his first two Blues appearances in the final week before the ongoing international break.

It won't be long before he's ready to start games consistently, and Kyogo may need to be wary of the 31-year-old taking his place.

Wateful Kyogo may be replaced by returning Marvin Ducksch

You can't knock Kyogo for getting into goalscoring positions throughout his first month as a Birmingham player, but there can be some cause for frustration that he has yet to find the back of the net regularly.

In the Championship, no player has missed more big chances than Kyogo (4), and he is yet to convert any of the 1.33 xG he has created for himself.

The 30-year-old has retained his place in the team so far, mainly due to his ability to get into those positions and make those opportunities, but also because there hasn't been a direct replacement for his position.

Chris Davies plays with two attacking frontmen, and Stansfield sits off whoever plays as the main striker. Whilst Ducksch was on the shelf, the only player set to replace Kyogo was Lyndon Dykes, who is a useful bench option for the Birmingham manager.

Ducksch has made the bench in each of the last two league games and played 45 minutes in their EFL Cup loss to Port Vale. With a couple more weeks on the training ground in the bag, it won't be long before the 31-year-old is ready to stake his claim to start Championship games.

And with Stansfield locking down that second striker position when fit, Kyogo may be the one to be replaced. With how wasteful their £10 million man has been in front of goal so far in the second tier, that change doesn't look like one which would come under much scrutiny, either.

Marvin Ducksch will be a dangerous addition to the Birmingham City attack when fully fit

The fanfare and excitement surrounding Kyogo were warranted, but it arguably overshadowed the anticipation of seeing Ducksch join the club, too.

The 31-year-old has been one of the more well-rounded players in the Bundesliga for a few years now, and you'd expect that a move to the Championship would be one which could see him return to the goalscoring monster which he was in the German second tier, scoring 20 and tacking on 10 assists in his first season at his former club, which resulted in promotion.

Unlike Kyogo, he provides a different element to attacks with his chance creation, and at six-foot-two, he will be able to hold play up and allow the likes of Stansfield and Gray to get on the ball and cause issues.

So far this season, Kyogo has completed four passes, so it's clear that his style of play is completely different to Ducksch's, and if Chris Davies does decide to use the German from the off instead of their marquee £10 million arrival, then Birmingham could find another way to be dangerous in their attacks.