Birmingham must rue losing star who’s now outperforming Paik Seung-ho

Birmingham City won’t be fools heading into the hectic December fixture schedule that awaits them, knowing full well that these games will be crucial when it comes to achieving promotion.

They have shown that they are prone to a slip-up here and there too, with the 3-2 away loss to Shrewsbury Town towards the back-end of November damaging their ego somewhat, considering the Shrews are deep in a relegation battle at the opposite end of League One.

But, Chris Davies will believe that his troops are made of some stern stuff and will soar to promotion as 2025 looms on the horizon, with many individuals deserving of praise in his talented camp.

Birmingham’s standout performers this season

Birmingham have managed to bounce back from that disappointing defeat to Gareth Ainsworth’s men well with victories galore in December.

Jay Stansfield stood out unsurprisingly in Birmingham’s last away win at Barnsley, as the former Fulham gem picked up another two league strikes to guide his side to a hard-fought three points in South Yorkshire. Then also scoring in the 2-0 win over Bristol Rovers on Saturday, this took his own league goal haul to a mightily impressive ten.

The attackers at Davies’ disposal aren’t the only stars worthy of being mentioned in a glowing fashion, however, as the defenders have also had to dig deep to ensure the Blues continue to pick up win after win.

A recent 2-0 win over a tricky Stockport County side saw Krystian Bielik show off his prowess in the air with eight duels successfully won, as a clean sheet came his team’s way alongside the three points.

Moreover, the calm and composed presences of Tomoki Iwata and Paik Seung-Ho in the middle of the park have ensured Birmingham also don’t lose their heads when games have been stressful, with the South Korean particularly impressive against the Tykes when assisting Stansfield’s crucial winning goal.

But, there is a former Blues man that is currently outperforming the level-headed number 13 in midfield out in the Netherlands, having never managed to settle at St. Andrew’s over a brief stint.

Halilovic’s record since leaving Birmingham

Once hailed as being a “true natural talent” by Dutch great Rafael Van De Vaart, it’s fair to say Alen Halilovic’s career didn’t quite go to plan after his early footballing education at Barcelona.

The forgotten Croat would only make one first team appearance at Camp Nou before going on to become a nomad away from Spain, which even led him down the path of joining Birmingham City in a surprise deal back in 2020.

The dimunitive attacking midfielder would succeed in flashes in his new location, with 17 first team appearances coming his way, which even saw him net one goal versus Queens Park Rangers.

But, it would be a short stay for Halilovic at St. Andrew’s, with the ten-time senior Croatia international exiting the Blues at the close of the 2020/21 season, having failed to agree a new extended deal.

Whilst his temporary time in England wasn’t the most memorable patch of his up-and-down playing days, Halilovic has managed to make a name for himself playing for Fortuna Sittard this season to date, with two assists coming his way recently in Eredivisie action.

That has taken his league total – in terms of goals and assists – to two goals and three assists, which surprisingly betters Paik’s own haul in League One of just two assists with zero goals notched up.

Those numbers are somewhat skewed by the fact that Halilovic does operate as a midfielder far more content with joining in with attacks, but Birmingham would not say no to having their former man back if an opportunity presented itself.

The “phenomenal” star – as he was once described by ex-footballer Miroslav Bicanic – would be another flashy option at Davies’ disposal, but with the Fortuna Sittard ace out of the picture, the Birmingham boss will continue to attempt to steer his star-studded squad to an immediate return to the Championship.