Birmingham City CEO Garry Cook makes candid January transfer window admission | OneFootball

Birmingham City CEO Garry Cook has admitted that the January transfer window will be a very difficult one for his side to operate in, speaking to Birmingham Live.

Blues made some shrewd decisions during the summer transfer window, with the sale of Tahith Chong to Luton Town funding moves for other players.

One regret they may have is selling Jobe Bellingham, who has become a real asset for Sunderland this term following his move from St Andrew's during the previous window, and will only get better considering he's still a teenager.

But overall, Blues can celebrate what was a decent window, with plenty of permanent players arriving in their quest to build for the long term.

Unfortunately for them, their season went downhill when current boss Wayne Rooney came in, with the 38-year-old attempting to implement a new style of play at St Andrew's.

This brave managerial change hasn't worked out thus far - and it may take Rooney until the end of the January window to get the players he needs before he's successful.

But at this rate, he won't be making it that far, with the Midlands outfit securing just five points from a possible 27 in his nine league games in charge.

This has left Blues hovering not too far above the relegation zone at this point - and points on the board are needed quickly.

Cook has potentially hinted that Blues won't be that busy in January, with the CEO keen to see a focus on his club's current players.

He told Birmingham Live: "The numbers are staggering to identify the ones that will actually be able to come. January is a very difficult window. It’s not one that is easy to work in.

"At the same time, we’ve got great players. I always worry when everyone starts to look forward to the window.

"We’ve got some great players and they will get better. That’s the commitment that the coaching staff are making, and the commitment that support staff are making.

"Let’s make everybody better before we worry about how to replace everybody."

Do Birmingham City need to be busy during the January transfer window?

Any new manager will want to put their stamp on the club, but it seems unnecessary to make too many changes at Blues considering they did well during the early stages of the campaign.

Bringing in a striker who can press effectively would be ideal for them - but John Eustace managed to get a tune out of the current set of players - with Rooney having a decent amount of options at his disposal when most players are fit.

At the moment, the change that's arguably needed is in the managerial department if they can't get results in the next few games, so it's difficult to think too much about January.

You can understand why Cook may not want to see too much movement in January.