Chris Davies drops transfer update on Birmingham City future for £6.9m star | OneFootball

Jhon Solis could make a permanent transfer to St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park this summer

Birmingham City's season has been one littered with inconsistency, hardly aligning with the ambition and financial power showcased in this part of the West Midlands throughout recent times.

After storming their way to the League One title, plenty of discourse and hype was generated over how Blues would fare in the Championship under Chris Davies, with many believing the squad which kicked off the campaign on August 8th was more than good enough to hold its own in the division, as well as to potentially mount a consistent push for the play-offs.

However, fast-forward to the present, and the 41-year-old is under intense pressure from large sections of supporters, with a timely 2-0 victory over Wrexham at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park last time out bringing an end to a previous run of alarming results and performances that had seen Birmingham's top six hopes fade away, and they are now set to end in mid-table.

That is despite the fact that in January, Davies was, once again, heavily backed by ownership group, Knighthead Capital Management and director of football, Craig Gardner, to conduct a major squad reshuffle to try and enhance their promotion hopes.

Alongside a large exodus of previous fringe players in B9, a handful of fresh faces were recruited, as well as seeing Patrick Roberts' loan move from Sunderland become permanent.

Jhon Solis was among the first of those to arrive in the West Midlands in January after Blues struck an initial loan deal with La Liga side, Girona FC, for the combative Colombian.

And, with that initial agreement almost at its conclusion, the chances of a permanent summer move for the 21-year-old have become clearer.

Chris Davies provides fresh transfer update on Birmingham City loanee Jhon Solis

Ahead of Solis' temporary switch to the Second City being finalised in mid-January, details had emerged over the agreement which Blues had struck with the Catalan-based outfit.

It was reported that the Championship side were to pay Girona an initial loan fee of approximately £430,000 until the end of the current season, whilst claims had also come to the fore stating that Blues had an obligation to pay a transfer fee worth £6.9m if they were promoted to the Premier League, whilst such a fee could also be triggered by an appearance-based clause.

The club do also have an option to pay the aforementioned fee, which appears the most likely scenario at present given their faded play-off hopes, although it has become clearer that the appearance-based clause relates to the number of overall minutes which Solis plays, as stated by Birmingham Live.

The clause stated that 11 games had to be played, and that this hasn't been triggered yet despite Solis featuring 14 times for his loan club to-date.

Davies, meanwhile, also believes Solis has potentially done enough for Birmingham to consider a permanent transfer this summer.

“I think he has,” said Davies, when asked about those chances. “I think he’s shown that he’s really built for this league.

“His physicality, he can play but he can do all the dirty parts as well – seconds balls, duels, winning tackles – and he’s got pace and power.

“There is a possibility of that within the structure of the loan and we’ve had discussions internally about what sort of squad we think can push us on next year, and we’ve been really happy with what he’s done," he added.

“Everyone needs to discuss that when the season finishes and see what can be done.”

Jhon Solis could become a key player for Birmingham City in the future

Given Davies' recent comments, it would be realistic to suggest that a permanent move for Solis is to be on the club's main list of summer priorities, as he could become a key player over time.

Despite being 21 years of age, the midfielder has a wealth of experience playing in La Liga and in the UEFA Champions League, meaning that he could become a cut above most Championship midfielders if he fulfils his potential.

Aside from a red card against Millwall in February, the Colombian has been a welcome addition to Blues' midfield alongside Paik Seung-ho and Wolves loanee, Tommy Doyle, meaning this is a deal which makes sense for all parties.