Birmingham City should target double deal for Peterborough stars | OneFootball

Birmingham City are interested in signing Kwame Poku but they should also target his Peterborough United teammate Hector Kyprianou.

Following their remarkable League One season, Birmingham City are looking to build a squad that can challenge in the Championship and Blues should return to the third-tier market to bolster themselves further with a couple of Peterborough United stars.

It has been heavily reported that Birmingham are front-runners to sign out-of-contract Posh winger Kwame Poku this summer, with Football League World exclusively revealing that the Ghana international is set to be offered a £30,000-per-week deal at St Andrew's.

However, as well as Poku, Blues would do a lot worse than looking at his current club teammate Hector Kyprianou as they seek to bolster their squad in all areas of the pitch over the summer.

Kyprianou, just like Poku, is out of contract this summer but, unlike Poku, will not command any compensation fee set by a tribunal and would represent a smart pick-up to provide an alternative to their array of excellent defensive midfield options.

Poku and Kyprianou’s potential influence

Something that Birmingham will be seeking this summer is goals from midfield positions as well as out wide with only two players, strikers Jay Stansfield and Alfie May, having reached double figures for goals in League One this season despite Chris Davies’ side breaking the all-time EFL points tally of 106 with 111 in their 46 games.

Keshi Anderson has been a reliant performer out-wide but Emil Hansson hasn’t hit the ground running in his first season, whilst Luke Harris’ loan deal from Fulham ends this summer, as does Kieran Dowell’s from Rangers and there are concerns over the performances of Willum Willumsson in the second-half of this season.

Poku provides that goal threat and would mark himself out as a guaranteed key starter on the right-hand side of the Blues attack, cutting in onto his devastating left foot.

Whilst that deal has been mooted, one that would also make a lot of sense that has not yet been rumoured this summer would be the arrival of Cyprus international Kyprianou, who captained Posh and scored as they defeated Birmingham by two goals to nil at Wembley Stadium in the EFL Trophy final last month to help Peterborough become the first team to ever defend that competition.

Tomoki Iwata and Paik Seung-ho have been key for Birmingham this season, but the Blues will want to provide some depth in that position and, at just 23, Kyprianou would be an ideal addition.

Kyprianou is a cost-effective option for Birmingham

Enfield-born Kyprianou, who represented Omonia Youth before Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient, turns 24 at the end of this month so will be available for a complete free transfer – unlike Poku, who will require a tribunal to determine a compensation package paid to Posh.

Kyprianou already has nearly 250 senior first-team appearances during his career for Orient and Posh, as well as loan spells at Harlow Town, Bishop’s Stortford, plus Hampton and Richmond Borough.

The Cypriot defensive midfielder has a similar playing style and profile to that of club captain Krystian Bielik, but he is three-and-a-half-years younger than the former Derby County man already with a bit more durability, it seems.

Birmingham chairman Tom Wagner has already intimated that funds will be available for Blues this summer but Kyprianou, who was the subject of a bid from Watford in January, could well be a more cost-effective addition to an already very strong squad.