Football League World
·30 August 2024
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·30 August 2024
Lyndon Dykes to Birmingham City seems a ridiculous signing at League One level, but the Blues must be cautious of his goal record.
Birmingham City are getting accustomed to life in League One.
The Blues are quickly discovering that the third tier is an incredibly tough testb ut they will remain confident that they can secure an immediate return to the Championship following last season's shock relegation.
Former Spurs assistant manager Chris Davies is at the helm for his first managerial role in the professional game, and there is a lot of expectation riding on him as the Blues faithful will be hoping for promotion at the first attempt.
Birmingham have done all they can this summer to give themselves the best chance of success, as they have spent millions on their squad in order to ensure they compete with the best that League One has to offer. The likes of Alfie May, Willum Willumsson, and Alex Cochrane, just to name a few, have been brought into Davies' squad and have already had an impact in the third tier.
So far, Birmingham have had a decent start to their League One campaign, but have not quite dominated as much as many would have expected. They have earned two wins and a draw after three games, but their two wins were by the solitary goal against Wycombe Wanderers and Leyton Orient.
The Blues have continued to sign and sell players right up until the transfer deadline in one of the busiest summers in their history. One of their latest arrivals, Lyndon Dykes, has been a big topic of discussion in League One this week, and his new club do need to be a little wary about his goalscoring record.
The Scotland international spent the last four years at Queens Park Rangers and had his highs and lows. His best season with the club was his first, as he scored 12 goals and assisted five in the Championship, but after that, his goals were not quite as frequent.
Under Marti Cifuentes, Dykes seemingly lost his place in the starting eleven and was replaced by the likes of Michael Frey and Zan Celar in the number nine role. A move away from Loftus Road seemed imminent and newly-relegated Birmingham were the ones to come calling.
The 28-year-old signed a three-year deal with the Blues for an undisclosed fee - reported to be above £1 million - in a move that caught the attention of EFL fans. Dykes has been a regular starter in the Championship for four years and has 36 caps for Scotland.
On paper, the striker should be an exceptional signing at League One level, but Birmingham fans should not get their hopes up too much if they are expecting 15/20+ goals a season from him.
The striker will, of course, arrive with plenty of expectation on his shoulders due to his experience, but Birmingham fans should have some reservations about him before they get their hopes up too much.
While Dykes has intelligence and experience in front of goal, he can not always be relied on to score frequent goals. Looking at his seasons with QPR, he only managed to hit double figures in one of his four campaigns with the club.
Last season, he managed just six league goals despite making 41 appearances, so Birmingham can not necessarily expect him to bang them in on a regular basis. However, a drop into League One may do the Scot a favour and help him find his shooting boots.
It is hard to predict how well Dykes will do at Birmingham this season as he has never played in England's third tier before, but perhaps playing in a side that is aiming for promotion may work in his favour.
There will be competition for places as May has already scored a few for the Blues in his short time at the club, and it is unlikely that Dykes will be able to keep up with his numbers. If that's what the Second City club are expecting, they may well be disappointed.