As Birmingham City are looking to push the reset button following their new start in League One, we’re discussing the latest on their transfers and pre season situation as they’re gearing up for a new manager and hopefully a promotion back to the Championship.
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00:00Obviously, a massive, massive summer to not only get a few names into the side, but also
00:07to prepare for this Ligue 1 rebuild that could and they hope is going to happen. What's the
00:13latest you can tell us on the transfer front? Let's start with a bit of transfer news.
00:18It's been a promising start to the window, actually. Now that Chris Davies has properly
00:21settled in, pre-season has started at the beginning of July and they're getting some
00:25new faces in already, which is good to see. The goalkeeping department was a massive area
00:30of concern because John Ruddy has joined Newcastle United upon the expiry of his contract. Neil
00:35Leatheridge was always going to leave. He was a high earner. He left Birmingham with
00:38no senior goalkeeper, but they have signed two already. They've got that out of the way.
00:42Ryan Allsopp from Hull City and then Bailey Peacock-Farrell from Burnley. Peacock-Farrell
00:47being a Northern Ireland international may be just squeezing in ahead of Allsopp, but
00:51I think there'll be an interesting debate as to which one's going to start. But having
00:55two top-quality keepers in League One, I think is going to be a good basis for Blues
00:59at the back. There's also another signing to be made on the back line, this time a centre-back.
01:04Mike Urge-Huygens, I believe it's pronounced, playing in the Dutch League for Sparta Rotterdam.
01:10About £2 million he's going to cost. A very tall centre-back who can play out from the
01:14back pretty effectively, trying to build that solid basis, as I mentioned. Dion Sanderson,
01:19very committed to the club and hoping to get Birmingham back up to the championship. There's
01:23no worries about him going anywhere, so what a defensive partnership that could be. And
01:28then Alfie May, a very proven goalscorer at Charleston Athletic. I'm not sure exactly
01:33on the fee, but below £1 million is what we're hearing.
01:35Obviously, you covered a lot of Birmingham City last season. The turmoil with the managers,
01:42all these different tactics and different names every week as well, whether that be
01:46the players and then that manager merry-go-round, as we say, that went on. What do you feel
01:53the main area that needs to change in terms of Blues and what can Chris Davies address
02:00straight away to get those problems straight out there, straight resolved, and they can
02:04go and hopefully have a positive season?
02:07I think it's just that continuity and consistency with tactics. It was just chaotic last season.
02:12For me as a journalist, just covering so many different managers and speaking to so many
02:16different managers was difficult. But imagine being a player in that situation when you've
02:20got all the pressure of potential relegation and then obviously going down on the final
02:24day despite a win. It's just emotional turmoil for so many of them, especially the younger
02:28players who are breaking through and unsure about what's going to happen. But now they've
02:33got a fantastic manager who's ambitious, is committed. He's never had a managerial
02:38role before, so it's not like he's going to jump ship. I think Birmingham are going
02:41to be trusting in him and giving him some patience. Of course, playing against easier
02:45oppositions is going to help as well. Having the strongest squad in the division is going
02:49to help. Just getting that positivity back around the place and building on from the
02:53investment that the new owners have brought in. It should be a positive season and they've
02:57made a good start to the transfer business as well.