5 players that must be on the Birmingham City transfer radar ft Brannagan | OneFootball

Birmingham City's off-the-field ventures are looking promising, but they do need to get back to being successful on the pitch, so they can really see the benefits of what the new owners are trying to do.

Knighthead are investing into a new Sports Quarter for Birmingham which will see a new stadium and training facility be built at the old Wheels site.

While things are going smoothly in this section of the club, they need to sort their act out on the pitch as well. It's all well and good having these top facilities, but if you aren't seeing the results on the pitch then what is the point?

It's been made evident that the recruitment last summer wasn't good enough, although it was plentiful, and, in fairness, the summer recruits aren't the sole reason why Birmingham are in the position that they are in.

With that said, they have to get things right this time around, and these are five players that they need to be looking at in the summer.

Devante Cole

The natural finisher is approaching the end of his current deal with Barnsley, and his goals record certainly suggests that he should be a player that looks to make a step up in his career.

Devante Cole, who is the son of legendary Manchester United and Newcastle United striker Andy Cole, has a lovely blend of attributes to his game. He has the physicality, with his height and speed, but also the finesse of a penalty box striker.

Birmingham are set to lose a lot of their options up top over the summer, with Jay Stansfield returning to Fulham, and Scott Hogan and Lukas Jutkiewicz also scheduled to leave St Andrew's, so cover in the summer will be needed, and Cole acts as a good option for that.

Cody Drameh

The full-back has been one of the few bright sparks from what has been a dreary 2023/24 season for City.

The Leeds United loanee will be available to them if they and the player can agree a contract over the summer, as he was set to leave the Yorkshire side this summer, so a clause was inserted into the loan deal saying that Birmingham could have him if they came to an agreement.

With Ethan Laird's injury issues, Cody Drameh is a dependable option at the back, and he can play on either flank, if needs be. Life is also much easier in the transfer window if you know exactly what you're getting, and that's what the 22-year-old would be to City.

Cameron Brannagan

Cameron Brannagan represents yet another example of League One quality that is ready to take the next step in his career, and Birmingham should hope that steps is with them.

For Oxford United, the central midfielder provided a combined 21 goals and assists in the 2023/24 regular season. Nine of his 12 goals were penalties, but having a lethal penalty taker is no bad thing, and that's what he is (Brannagan didn't miss a penalty all season).

The 27-year-old is your typical do it all number eight. He's creative, as is shown by the stats above, he's good on the ball - 84% pass accuracy and 73% dribble success rate in the third tier regular season - and he's a solid operator defensively too.

There is nothing not to like about this player, and Birmingham have to be snooping around for him.

Joe Lumley

Clubs like the Blues, who are in the position, financially, that they are, have to take advantage of any bad situations around the leagues where a good player is feeling a bit disgruntled about their current team. That is the case with experienced goalkeeper Joe Lumley.

After Gavin Bazunu's season-ending injury, prior to Southampton's game against Preston North End, many thought that Lumley, who had been the number two all season, would step in. But no. Alex McCarthy was given the nod ahead of him.

Some have said that the 29-year-old should put in a transfer request, and City should be there to take advantage of that and get their hands on a good keeper.

All their current good shot-stoppers are set to depart when their respective contracts expire - Lumley should be an option to replace them.

Noah Mbamba

A few of the signings of last summer prove that Birmingham have links to teams in the Bundesliga (Germany) and the Pro League (Belgium). Oli Burke and Lee Buchanan were both brought in from Werder Bremen, while Koji Miyoshi arrived from Royal Antwerp.

The Blues should use these connections to get their hands on a talented youngster for the 2024/25 campaign in the form of Noah Mbamba.

The Belgian central defender/defensive midfielder plays for the Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso, and was formerly with Club Brugge.

The 19-year-old has made some league and European outings for the German side this season, providing four shot-creating actions and one goal creating action in the Europa League in his two games in the competition this season.

St Andrew's has witnessed, through Stansfield, what it can be like to have a top young talent on loan, and Mbamba could be an option for them to add some real quality to their squad.