Big Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain claim made if he joins Birmingham City - it involves Iwata & Paik | OneFootball

Blues are reportedly edging Leeds United in the race to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

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 are showing no signs of decreasing their activity when it comes to making transfer statements, even though the summer transfer window closed for business last week.

Blues are looking to make a return to the Premier League as soon as possible under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management, with plenty of exciting aims and plans in the pipeline over the years to come in this part of the West Midlands.

Tom Wagner has continuously spoken about emulating Ipswich Town's back-to-back promotion success following a season where a plethora of records - including the all-time EFL points haul - were broken last term in League One.

Many debated that Chris Davies already had the nucleus of a strong Championship squad at his disposal, but that has only been further added to in recent weeks and months with standout additions such as Phil Neumann, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Tommy Doyle, Demarai Gray and Kyogo Furuhashi.

Blues were also extremely active in the latter stages of the window, bringing in the experience of Jack Robinson and Patrick Roberts, whilst links to former England international midfielder, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, have failed to go away.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's potential Birmingham City gametime debated amid Leeds United transfer battle

The former Liverpool and Arsenal man was among plenty of names, such as Aleksandar Mitrovic, to also be linked with a surprise move to St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park this summer, with the Mirror first reporting interest on August 18th.

It was then claimed by the Athletic that no formal offer had been put on the table by Birmingham for the 32-year-old, who has since become a free agent after coming to a mutual agreement with former employers, Besiktas, to terminate his contract with the Turkish side 10 months before its expiration.

Football Insider now reports that Blues are leading the race for his signature ahead of newly-promoted Leeds United, with Daniel Farke also looking to add further bodies to his squad in the free agent market.

Despite the vast experience Oxlade-Chamberlain would bring to B9, Football League World's Blues fan pundit, Jason Moore, believes he would have to battle his way into the starting XI due to the midfield options currently favoured by Davies.

"I've said all summer, and I had the same stance last summer, that if the club want someone then I'm more than happy for them to come in," Moore told FLW. "I back what they want, back the recruitment, trust the board, trust Craig Gardner, trust Chris Davies.

"Do I think Oxlade-Chamberlain would get in the current starting XI? I honestly don't think he does to begin with," Moore claimed. "Purely because Chris Davies has his way of playing, and he needs to get up to speed.

"He's been in Turkey the last two years, probably not playing tonnes of football. He's not had tonnes of appearances, and I don't know what his best position is anymore," he added. "Is it central midfielder?

"If that's the case he's not getting in anytime soon as Chris Davies loves Iwata and Paik.

"Does he go as a winger? I don't think he's got the pace for that any more," Moore continued. "Is he going to dislodge Gray and Patrick Roberts currently? It sounds ridiculous because it's Oxlade-Chamberlain, he's an absolute player. I just don't know after not seeing him for two years.

"It's difficult to say. There's obviously still got to be an absolute player in there. If he does sign, I don't think he starts to begin with.

"Whether he gets a place eventually, maybe. It's Oxlade-Chamberlain, so we'll wait and see. But to begin with, he doesn't start (in my opinion), no."

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would have to earn his way into Chris Davies' lineup at Birmingham City

As Moore alluded to, it does seem extremely strange in a way, that a player of Oxlade-Chamberlain's pedigree isn't guaranteed a starting berth at St. Andrew's. However, this speaks volumes about Davies' high-intensity methods and the calibre of midfield options at his disposal.

Paik and Iwata have been, and look likely to be, the 40-year-old's favoured midfield pairing in the coming weeks, which has already left summer loanee Doyle to be utilised as a substitute option for the time being.

if the same scenario applied to Oxlade-Chamberlain, it would largely be down to a disruptive start to the season which ended in his Besiktas departure after making just 50 appearances for the club since joining in August 2023.

Therefore, it remains to be seen if this is a deal which Birmingham will pursue with, as it could still set the club back a fair portion when it comes to wages. However, adding a player who has won the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and represented the Three Lions on 35 occasions, it would be another statement of intent and would only add to the winning culture which has been created from those in the boardroom right through the club.