Birmingham City have been encouraged to make an aggressive bid for ex-starlet Nathan Redmond, who is presently playing for Scott Parker’s Burnley but is said to be interested in returning to his hometown club.
Although their promotion credentials have been unsurprisingly bolstered in League One this season as a result of a sensational summer spending spree, there is a school of thought that Birmingham still needs to source additional star-quality in order to push themselves over the line and back into the Championship unmarried come May – or earlier.
Birmingham were widely expected to win the third-tier title easily, but Chris Davies’ side is currently second in the division and one point behind shock league leaders Wycombe Wanderers, despite having a game in hand over their promotion rivals.
It’s hard to criticize Birmingham’s season too much, but there was a belief that they would annihilate League One opponents at will. You can’t claim they’ve done that yet, but they do appear to be a good value for automatic promotion.
That pursuit could be boosted by the return of Redmond, who is allegedly on their radar ahead of a surprise prospective January transfer.
Birmingham’s transfer interest in Burnley’s Nathan Redmond
According to a recent Sun article, the Blues are interested in signing Redmond on loan for next month. The 30-year-old wideman hasn’t featured for the Clarets since suffering a long-term injury in January, though he did appear in three matchday squads at the end of November but did not come off the bench.
He’s clearly out of favour under Parker, who has a plethora of options at his disposal but appears to have no intention of enlisting the one-time England international’s services, which could open the door for the Blues to sign him in a deal that would represent yet another statement of intent.
Redmond, of course, is one of several Blues academy graduates who have gone on to achieve top-tier success. The winger made his Birmingham debut at the age of 16 and went on to experience two successful Championship seasons as a teenager before joining Norwich City for a reputed £3.2 million deal in the summer of 2013.
The former Southampton attacker has nearly 300 Premier League appearances, as well as caps for England from under-17 to senior level, so his potential return to the Second City would be welcomed by fans while also representing a significant boost for Birmingham as the promotion race enters its final stages.
Birmingham City verdict offered on Burnley’s Nathan Redmond amid transfer talk
Following the news of Birmingham’s interest, we asked our resident Blues fan commentator, Mike Gibbs, if he would be pleased with Redmond’s signing.
Mike believes it would be a huge coup for his team, and he still considers Redmond one of his all-time favourite Blues players to this day.
“I think it would be an absolutely fantastic move,” Mike explained to Football League World.
“I’m a huge fan of Redmond; he’s one of my favorite Blues players of all time.” I remember him bursting onto the scene as a 17-year-old; he was amazing for us, and it would be lovely to have him return.
“I believe we’re lacking in several areas, therefore he is a fantastic fit for what we’re looking for and need. A loan at this level would be ideal, given his talent and experience.”
“We’ve just got to hope we can get him and keep him fit, he can add a lot of goals and assists.”
