Birmingham City told not to sell £6.5k-a-week star - even though 'Chris Davies doesn't fancy him' | OneFootball

Alfons Sampsted has seen regular gametime hard to come by at St. Andrew's

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 gearing up towards a potentially crucial January transfer window if they are to make themselves serious material for the Championship play-off places.

Much has been made of developments at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, on and off the pitch, in recent times, with the spotlight very much cast on Blues' performances under Chris Davies as a result.

Despite only just regaining their status as a second tier side after romping to the League One title with the EFL's all-time record points total, many outsiders and supporters believed that a play-off finish was certainly achievable when assessing the quality and experience which was added to an already Championship-level squad across yet another high-profile summer recruitment drive.

It has certainly been a mixed bag as far as the performance levels of those 14 permanent or loan incomings are concerned, as well as how Birmingham have performed as a collective.

Indeed, their home form under Davies has been nothing short of stellar, with the 40-year-old only suffering one league defeat in B9, which came at the hands of Hull City on October 18th.

Meanwhile, their woes away from B9 only continued in midweek as a below-par performance at fellow play-off hopefuls, Queens Park Rangers, was compounded by Kieron Morgan's 96th-minute strike, which flew past Brighton loanee and goalkeeper James Beadle to win the game 2-1.

Football League World recently exclusively revealed the areas of priority when it comes to activity in January, with a strong onus being placed on adding further defensive depth.

With that in mind, FLW asked our Blues fan pundit, Jason Moore, what course of action should be taken regarding Alfons Sampsted's future at St. Andrew's.

Sampsted, who is estimated to earn a base salary of £6.5k-a-week at St Andrew's, was one of many signings made during Blues' first transfer window under Davies as they prepared for a first season of League One football in 30 years last term, initially joining from Eredivisie side, FC Twente.

The 23-time Icelandic international would then link up with the likes of his compatriot, Willum Willumsson, whilst providing adequate cover and competition for ex-Manchester United prospect, Ethan Laird.

After making his first appearance as a substitute in a 3-2 success over Wycombe Wanderers last August, Sampsted enjoyed a short run of substitute cameos across all competitions before succumbing to an ankle issue which kept him sidelined between November 2024 and January.

It then proved extremely tricky for the full-back to earn a place back in the side, largely down to the versatility of Taylor Gardner-Hickman, who featured at right-back on occasions last term before being loaned out to Blackburn Rovers in September - a deal which could also be turned permanent.

Despite a clear lack of minutes, Sampsted's loan switch was made permanent in bizarre fashion, with a non-relegation clause activated last March despite Blues' title-winning exploits.

Question marks over his future were then raised when Bright Osayi-Samuel joined from Fenerbahçe in the summer, and those doubts have only been heightened by Davies' decision to use natural midfielder, Tomoki Iwata, in the Nigerian's place during a two-month layoff, whilst Sampsted has recently made two substitute appearances against Preston North End and Watford.

With Osayi-Samuel soon linking up with Nigeria ahead of the African Cup of Nations whilst Laird remains sidelined with a hamstring issue, Moore backs Sampsted to be a key member of the squad in the short-term at least.

"I personally would keep him," he told FLW. "I think he's a good option for us.

"Granted, you've got Iwata who's playing there at the moment, Osayi-Samuel and Laird. But, I don't get why Chris Davies doesn't fancy him.

"He's had the occasional game where he's not looked fantastic," Moore claimed. "But, I don't think he puts much of a foot wrong. I quite like him.

"In reality, Chris Davies doesn't fancy him. So, his best option would be to leave and maybe return to the Dutch league.

"I don't think we'd get much for him. I think you're looking at £1m maximum, which I'd be happy with, given what he's offered us," he added.

Alfons Sampsted may be looking at a summer departure from Birmingham City

Sampsted's permanent contract with Blues, according to Capology, ends in the summer, which could be when a departure is most likely to occur.

As previously mentioned, Davies will be extremely light on cover at right-back due to Osayi-Samuel's international commitments, whilst Laird is out of action until at least February.

Of course, the January window would represent a strong chance for Blues to cash in on Sampsted and potentially upgrade their right-back options for the short-term. However, as a back-up, the Icelandic figure has been extremely dependable when called upon.

As such, this is one of a handful of dilemmas which Davies and director of football, Craig Gardner, will have to weigh up.