"Bring him in" - Birmingham City urged to beat Coventry City to £40k-a-week Premier League man | OneFootball

FLW's Birmingham City fan pundit has given his verdict on the club's reported interest in Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka.

After a difficult period in the Championship, it is a crucial January transfer window for Birmingham City.

Birmingham owner Tom Wagner made it clear in the summer that the club are targeting back-to-back promotions this season, but a recent run of seven games without a win saw manager Chris Davies come under serious pressure.

Some of the scrutiny on Davies was eased as his side picked up a much-needed 3-2 home win over leaders Coventry City in their last league outing, but despite that, they remain 14th in the table, seven points from the play-off places.

As the Blues look to get their promotion push back on track, they have already made one new signing this month, with defender Kai Wagner joining from Philadelphia Union, and there are likely to be further incomings at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park over the coming weeks.

While Birmingham's proposed deal to sign Mjallby winger Abdoulie Manneh has collapsed, as exclusively revealed by FLW this week, it seems they still have plenty of other targets in their sights, and according to the Daily Mail, they are set to battle Coventry for Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka.

Onyeka joined the Bees from Midtjylland in the summer of 2021, but he has fallen down the pecking order at the Gtech Community Stadium in recent times, and after spending last season on loan at Bundesliga side Augsburg, he has made just nine appearances in all competitions for Keith Andrews' side this campaign.

Birmingham City told to beat Coventry City to Frank Onyeka, Brentford deal

When asked for his thoughts on the potential signing of Onyeka, FLW's Birmingham City fan pundit Jason Moore urged the club to win the race for the Nigeria international, claiming that he could provide what the Blues are currently missing in midfield.

"We need someone, and if you're going to get someone of that calibre, then bring him in," Jason told FLW.

"He'd be more than capable of playing in the Championship.

"I think a loan makes sense, it means we won't need to outlay anything on a permanent deal in case it doesn't work out.

"We need two central midfielders, so if you bring him and Jhon Solis in, that would make sense.

"We're well-stocked now, but if Marc Leonard goes, then we'll start to look very, very short.

"We need a different type of midfielder, as good as Tommy Doyle and Paik Seung-ho are, they are not athletic midfielders.

"They can find a pass, but you don't see them running with the ball often and being able to power their way through a midfield, so I think that's what we're missing in the middle of the park.

"If we can get that in with two more midfielders, then I'm all for it.

"If they want to bring in Onyeka, then I'm more than down for it."

Frank Onyeka could be the perfect Marc Leonard replacement for Birmingham City

It seems Onyeka, who is estimated to earn a base salary of £40k-a-week, is firmly out of favour at Brentford, with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Mathias Jensen, Yehor Yarmoliuk and Vitaly Janelt currently preferred ahead of him, and his last Premier League appearance came all the way back in late October.

However, while Onyeka may not be fancied at club level, he started four of Nigeria's six games during the Africa Cup of Nations as they reached the semi-finals of the tournament, and he would be a strong addition for Birmingham in the Championship.

With Marc Leonard expected to depart this month amid interest from the likes of Sheffield United and Norwich City, the Blues will need to bolster their midfield, and if they were able to win the race for Onyeka, as well as sealing a deal for Girona's Jhon Solis, Davies would certainly have plenty of depth at his disposal in the middle of the park.