Birmingham City are at risk of major £10m mishap - Southampton FC evidence proves it | OneFootball

Kyogo Furuhashi's woes continued for Blues on the South Coast

Birmingham City's shortcomings away from St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park were once again on show this weekend as they were defeated 3-1 by a resurgent Southampton side at St Mary's.

In recent weeks, it seemed as though Blues had dragged themselves away from the previous inconsistencies they were showcasing upon their return to the Championship, winning five of their past seven games heading into the South Coast showdown.

With four of those coming at St. Andrew's in rather impressive fashion against Portsmouth, Millwall, Norwich City and Watford, it was a real test of how much Chris Davies' side had progressed since the October international break when facing off against a Saints side buoyed by the initial strides of progress made under Tonda Eckert, whose interim spell was made permanent ahead of their latest Championship fixture on Saturday.

With the second tier table as congested as ever, a victory could have seen Birmingham reach the top six and back up their own mini-revival of late under Davies, who has previously faced a barrage of questions as to why his side cannot translate the performance levels they showcase in home fixtures on the road.

Such questions were, unsurprisingly, posed the way of the 40-year-old as they came unstuck courtesy of the in-form Finn Azaz and an Adam Armstrong double, although Demarai Gray's stunning curler would prove to be a major plus point for Blues.

However, the Jamaican's individual brilliance was not the main point of discussion amongst Bluenoses at full-time, as they, once again, were left frustrated by high-profile summer recruit, Kyogo Furuhashi.

As has become the norm, Blues generated plenty of attention with their second intense summer recruitment drive under Davies, who continues to receive hefty backing from Knighthead Capital Management.

14 incomings made their way through the St. Andrew's doors after the club's record-breaking season in League One, with supporters and outsiders left astounded in equal measure as the West Midlands side were able to secure Kyogo's services for a reported £10m fee from Stade Rennais in early July.

The experienced Japanese international would appear to have added significant top-level quality and knowhow at the surface, whilst bolstering a frontline department which now consists of himself, Marvin Ducksch, Jay Stansfield and Lyndon Dykes.

To his credit, the 30-year-old, who is best known for his exemplary record of 85 goals in 165 games at Celtic, enjoyed a strong debut performance against Ipswich Town, during which he saw a stunning first-half strike disallowed after being adjudged to have fouled Jacob Greaves, before netting his first in royal blue with a tidy and simple finish which opened the deadlock in Blues' 2-1 success over Sheffield United in the EFL Cup first round.

Despite not being able to find form for Rennes in a six-month spell, a return to form for Kyogo was predicted by many, with the aforementioned strike expected to light the blue touchpaper.

However, four months down the line, the 23-time and five-goal international has only become a source of frustration, with a total of 10 big chances missed from a total of 22 shots in 17 league appearances being the joint-second-highest tally in the division alongside Tommy Conway, whilst George Hirst has misfired 11 times from gilt-edged openings.

The prime chance for Kyogo to break his duck and give Blues a fighting chance against the Saints came 17 minutes from time, with the forward somehow firing over Gavin Bazunu's open net after the goalkeeper attempted to save Jack Robinson's initial header from a Tommy Doyle free-kick which smacked the crossbar.

Given the backing which Kyogo has received from Davies and supporters, the aforementioned miss has changed the viewpoint of some, whilst the Blues boss revealed the striker's mood at full-time.

“It’s a big moment, no doubt,” Davies said.

"He knows that. It’s come back to him and if that goes in you’ve got another 20 minutes with the goal deficit."

Kyogo Furuhashi has to end Birmingham City goal drought soon amid transfer mishap talk

With games coming thick and fast, there is every chance that Kyogo will be handed further opportunities, although there have been two instances where the striker hasn't made it off the substitutes bench.

Given his prior record, it is no surprise that there was a heavy sense of expectation and excitement amongst supporters as to how many goals Kyogo could score, but it is clear that such pressure is weighing heavily on his shoulders.

As such, talk of the forward becoming a transfer mishap has already come to the fore, and that will continue to be the case unless a raft of goals is forthcoming. However, it must be said that, on current evidence, such developments seem extremely unlikely.