Fresh claim made on Birmingham City's Patrick Roberts after Sunderland deal - "It's a shame he's on loan" | OneFootball

Patrick Roberts has been in fine form since joining Blues on loan

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 have been in a mixed run of form in recent weeks, and will be hoping to restore momentum after suffering a 2-1 defeat against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium last time out.

Beforehand, though, it appeared as if Chris Davies had finally cracked the winning code at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park through successive home routs against Portsmouth and Millwall, both by a 4-0 scoreline.

Plenty of eyes have been cast when it comes to developments in this part of the Second City, with Blues enjoying yet another high-profile and active summer transfer window after doing exactly the same ahead of their record-breaking term in League One.

As a result of a fairly inconsistent start to the season, despite the expectations placed on the club, largely by those on the outside, there have been plenty of mixed reviews when it comes to assessing the starts made by those who moved to St. Andrew's across the summer, with the standout transfer in that regard being the £10m switch which saw former Celtic hotshot, Kyogo Furuhashi, move to the Championship from French Ligue 1 side, Stade Rennais.

Many deals were also conducted on loan too, with five making a temporary switch to the West Midlands, and it may come as no surprise as to which recruit has impressed Football League World's Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, across the first 15 games of the season.

After an already active window, one of two Deadline Day deals completed by Blues was a loan agreement for Sunderland winger, Patrick Roberts.

The 28-year-old is no stranger to the Championship after aiding the Black Cats' rise from League One back to the Premier League last term, as well as previous spells in the division with the likes of Fulham, Norwich City, Middlesbrough and Derby County.

Despite posting two goals and eight assists for the Black Cats last term, Roberts' gametime at the Stadium of Light was significantly reduced following a hefty spending spree in the North East, paving the way for Davies to reunite with his former Celtic colleague.

In 10 appearances for Birmingham thus far, Roberts' impact has been extremely apparent, with his direct nature key in helping Davies ease his side's previous creative shortcomings, particularly in the aforementioned batch of home outings, as well as being rewarded with one goal and two assists.

Moore also referenced the recent impact of Wolves loanee, Tommy Doyle, but has still been more impressed by Roberts' performances, and has urged the club to look into a permanent deal.

"For me, there's only one player it can be (as the most impressive summer signing), and that's Patrick Roberts," he told FLW.

"He's just looked superb every time he's on the ball, and he always looks like he's going to create something.

"Tommy Doyle's been pretty good as well. But, bar that, I don't think our signings have done a ton to warrant that place of the most impressive. Lots of them have been OK," Moore explained.

"Patrick Roberts has definitely impressed me the most, and I really hope we sign him. Tommy Doyle's been impressive as well. He always looks to pass the ball forward, and nine times out of 10, he's given it to Patrick Roberts, who doesn't ever look like he's not going to beat his man.

"You're always confident he'll make something happen when he's on the ball. Patrick Roberts by a country mile, it's a shame he's on loan."

Chris Davies hasn't ruled out the prospect of a permanent Birmingham City switch for Patrick Roberts

After a strong start to his loan switch, Bluenoses will have been pleased to learn of Davies' recent comments, in which the 40-year-old didn't rule out a permanent switch for the former Manchester City man.

"The main thing is he’s new to here, he’s enjoying it, he’s settling in and showing his quality," he said.

"As long as his form continues like it is, and he continues to enjoy it here, who knows where that can go in the future.

"When you bring a player on loan, you’re never quite sure because they’re not your player. Will they have that sort of commitment? Having known him previously, I was sure that he would add to our group, and he’s done that so far," Davies added.

Roberts is currently out-of-contract on Wearside next summer, although Sunderland do hold the option of a one-year extension clause, meaning there is a chance a cut-price deal could be struck between the two sides in the upcoming transfer window.