Birmingham make move for “unplayable” EFL star

Birmingham City will only be looking up after a triumphant promotion out of League One, knowing that the club is in a far better place than it was when relegation was confirmed at the close of the 2023/24 season.

Indeed, Blues chairman Tom Wagner has managed to regalvanise proceedings away from previous toxic owners by giving the West Midlands giants plenty of cash to spend.

This cash was spent wisely rather than erratically, with Jay Stansfield an instant fan favourite in St. Andrew’s quarters for his 19-goal heroics in the third tier.

Birmingham won’t suddenly start spending frugally now they’re back in the EFL’s top division, however, with plenty of targets already on their mind that could possibly break the bank.

Birmingham pushing to sign EFL star

Much like fellow promoted side Wrexham, the Blues will be eager to flex their muscles again in the transfer market.

Indeed, Chris Davies’ ambitious side are already being linked with a surprise swoop for former star Che Adams, alongside further showing an interest in AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers who has an impressive 76 Championship appearances next to his name.

But, away from signing some distinguished second tier performers, the newly promoted outfit could also shop back in League One for some top gems, with Birmingham reportedly “pushing hard” again for Peterborough United superstar Kwame Poku according to Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett.

Reports in the past have even suggested that Davies and Co have offered a bumper £30k-per-week deal to the Ghanaian, with Birmingham also having to cough up a sum of money for the explosive 23-year-old owing to a compensatory fee, regardless of his current Posh deal nearing to its expiry date.

Clinching a deal for Poku could see the determined Blues win themselves an ideal partner for the potential incoming of Adams, with the pair ready to take the second tier by storm based off their blistering recent form.

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How Poku could shine alongside Adams

Davies could do with more exciting talents down the right flank at St. Andrew’s with ex-Rangers man Scott Wright his only recognised option here at the moment.

This is where Poku would come to the rescue, with the former Colchester United forward picking up 19 of his bumper 23 goal contributions playing down this channel with swagger for Darren Ferguson’s underachievers.

It was only a matter of time before the standout Posh number 11 was poached by a bigger fish, considering he has managed to end the season with this sizeable contribution of 23-goal involvements despite being absent for 23 clashes due to injury.

Also capable of playing just behind the lone striker in Davies’ preferred 4-2-3-1 set-up, the “unplayable” attacker – as he’s been previously lauded by his manager – could be about to give £15m man Stansfield a run for his money too, on top of also offering up chances galore for Adams if he decides to leave Torino behind for familiar pastures back in England.

Poku vs Adams in 24/25
Stat (* = per game)	Poku	Adams
Games played	27	33
Goals scored	12	9
Assists	8	3
Touches*	46.3	24.1
Shots*	2.4	1.7
Accurate passes*	20.3 (80%)	11.0 (75%)
Key passes*	1.2	0.8
Big chances missed	3	11
Big chances created	9	5
Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, the experienced EFL striker and Poku could be about to form a match made in heaven, with both players content with minimal touches of the ball before unleashing havoc. Indeed, Adams has only needed 24 touches on average this season per Serie A clash, yet he still finds himself on a reasonable nine strikes.

With Poku also boasting eight assists despite only averaging a meagre 20.3 accurate passes himself, the duo might end up striking fear into Championship defences out of the blue, which would more than help their new side acclimatise to the tougher division subsequently.

Birmingham could even be eyeing up the prospect of back-to-back promotions if everything goes swimmingly, with the likes of Poku and Adams joining showing they mean business.