Portsmouth FC should capitalise on Birmingham City, Dion Sanderson situation | OneFootball

Portsmouth should look to sign out of favour Birmingham City defender Dion Sanderson

Portsmouth are currently enduring a Championship relegation battle as they currently sit 21st in the second tier table.

Things were looking up for John Mousinho's men on New Year's Day, when they hammered Swansea City 4-0, but a 1-0 defeat to automatic promotion challengers Sunderland on Sunday left the Hampshire outfit level on points with the relegation zone.

Pompey will be reasonably satisfied with their attacking efforts so far this term, as their return of 30 goals in 24 Championship fixtures is just one goal fewer than second-place Burnley have managed in 26 league outings.

However, Mousinho will be less pleased by his side's backline, who have conceded 41 goals, which is more than Hull City and Cardiff City, who both sit in the relegation zone, have respectively shipped.

Pompey should look to out-of-favour Birmingham City man to solve defensive issues

The January transfer window offers Pompey the opportunity to bolster their backline, and bolster their defensive woes, which is something they have already looked to address, with the addition of Rob Atkinson, recently brought in on loan from Bristol City.

Atkinson made his debut for the Fratton Park side as a second-half substitute at Sunderland on Sunday, and is in contention to make his first Portsmouth start when they take on League One high-flyers Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup on Friday night.

But the Robins man, who has not made a single appearance for the West Country outfit since the 2022/23 campaign due to a long-term ACL injury, may be unlikely to revitalise Mousinho's defence single-handedly.

With this in mind, the Pompey boss should look to acquire another centre-half this month, while Birmingham's Dion Sanderson could be a perfect fit.

Sanderson made 37 Championship appearances for Blues last season, and has previously earned experience at second tier level with Queens Park Rangers and Cardiff.

But despite Blues' current League One status, the 25-year-old has fallen down the pecking order in the West Midlands, thanks to the presence of Christoph Klarer, who joined Chris Davies' side for a fee of around £3.5m last summer, and Poland international Krystian Bielik, as well as Ben Davies, currently on loan from Scottish giants Rangers.

In fact, amid such fierce competition for a place in Birmingham's starting lineup, Sanderson has made just two League One appearances this term.

Pompey should look to capitalise on the defender's lack of game time with Blues, and acquire his services on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

If Mousinho and co are able to land a deal for Sanderson, he could prove to be the ideal defensive partner for Atkinson, which would allow club captain Marlon Pack to relocate to a more familiar midfield role.

Sanderson should be keen on a loan move to the Championship

Although the defender has played just 92 minutes in League One for Blues this season, he is more than capable of plying his trade in the Championship once more, which is an opportunity Pompey could hand him.

As he was a regular feature in the second tier just last term, the former Sunderland man must be frustrated that he is currently enduring a lack of minutes in the third tier.

Should Mousinho and co make a loan offer for his services this month, there is surely no doubt that Sanderson would be keen to move away from Blues.