Birmingham City: Jordan James regret not being felt right now - View | OneFootball

Birmingham City are not currently missing former starman Jordan James as they sit top of League One

Birmingham City are absolutely flying in League One and look on course for an immediate return to the Championship following a run in which they have won five of their last six games in the third tier.

In fact, Blues sit top of the table after 10 games played and have suffered just one defeat in that time, while also defeating fellow promotion hopefuls such as Wrexham and Huddersfield Town.

Right now, things could not be going much better for Birmingham, but just a few months ago, the football club seemed to be in a world of hurt following their relegation from the Championship.

The drop to the third tier also saw sought-after starman Jordan James depart the West Midlands in favour of joining French Ligue 1 outfit Rennes for a reported transfer fee of around £4m.

Blues are not missing James

The 20-year-old's talent cannot be understated. He is a regular in the Wales national side, while Italian outfit Corriere dello Sport credited Europa League champions Atalanta with interest in the midfielder, prior to his move to Rennes.

Furthermore, James demonstrated his quality in the final third while donning a Blues shirt last term, as he scored eight goals in 42 Championship appearances, which included 25 starts.

The Welshman is also a tenacious midfielder who won 133 duels in the second tier last term according to FotMob, which displays his all-round ability.

However, despite the fact that James was such a key player for Blues in the Championship last season, the West Midlands side are not missing him so far this term as they strive to land an automatic promotion spot come the end of the League One campaign.

Results alone show that Birmingham have no serious weaknesses among their ranks, as they have won an impressive 80% of their third tier games so far.

But the efforts of Seung-Ho Paik, who played alongside James last season, as well as those of new signings Tomoki Iwata and Marc Leonard have ensured that the Blues are not feeling the effects of the Welshman's absence.

Former Celtic man Iwata has already demonstrated a serious appetite to get forward and help his team in offensive areas, as he has scored two goals as well as producing an assist in six appearances.

Meanwhile, Blues have maintained an average possession of 68.9% in League One this season, as per FotMob, more than any of their third tier rivals, and Paik has played an instrumental role towards their ball retention with a pass accuracy of 88.4%, according to FotMob.

And despite being named in Chris Davies' starting XI in League One on just three occasions, former Brighton man Marc Leonard has shown his class by completing 235 successful passes with an accuracy of 88.0% as per FotMob.

Collectively, Blues' midfield have ensured that James' exit has not affected the success of the team so far this season, or their ever-increasing promotion credentials.

James has struggled to make an impact at Rennes

Since moving to the Ligue 1 side, James has made just three appearances in the French top flight, the most recent of which came back in August, when he came on as a second-half substitute during a 3-1 defeat to Strasbourg.

In fact, the former Blues man is yet to start a game for Rennes and has played a total of just 27 minutes in Ligue 1 so far this season.

But as James struggles to adjust to the demands of the top tier in France, the Blues are coping well without his services, courtesy of fine performances from Paik, Iwata and Leonard.