Birmingham City must turn to Barnsley for inspiration if they fail in Sanderson pursuit: Opinion | OneFootball

With the transfer window set to open later this month, it will be fascinating to see what approach Birmingham City will take in terms of their business this summer.

The Blues will unquestionably need to draft in a number of fresh faces ahead of the 2023/24 campaign having recently decided to release six senior members of their squad.

One of the areas that Birmingham are now short of options in is the centre-back position.

Kevin Long and Harlee Dean are both set to leave upon the expiry of their deals at the end of June, while Auston Trusty recently returned to Arsenal following a successful loan spell at St Andrew's.

Another individual who spent a significant chunk of the 2022/23 season with the Blues was Dion Sanderson.

Sanderson returned to Birmingham for his second loan spell last year, and went on to feature on 34 occasions in all competitions.

Ahead of the upcoming window, the Blues have been linked with a permanent move for the Wolverhampton Wanderers defender.

What has been said about Birmingham City's interest in Dion Sanderson?

A Patreon report from journalist Alan Nixon earlier this month suggested that Birmingham had submitted an offer for Sanderson believed to be close to Wolves' £2m valuation of the defender.

A deal has yet to be finalised due to differences between the two clubs regarding the payment structure of this deal.

Birmingham are expected to face competition from two of their Championship rivals in this pursuit.

A report from The Telegraph has revealed that both Sunderland and Stoke City are keen on a move for the defender.

With there being no guarantee that Birmingham will be able to win the race for Sanderson's signature, it is imperative that they line up an alternative option to the 23-year-old.

Keeping this in mind, the Blues ought to consider making an approach for Barnsley centre-back Mads Andersen if they fail in this aforementioned pursuit.

Why should Birmingham City target Mads Andersen as an alternative to Dion Sanderson?

A vital member of the Barnsley team that recently suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday in the League One play-off final, Andersen is playing the best football of his career at Oakwell.

The centre-back helped Barnsley claim 18 clean-sheets in the games that he participated in by winning 4.7 aerial duels and making 1.7 interceptions and 4.6 clearances per fixture.

Andersen also did not make a single error that led directly to a goal as he recorded an average Sofascore match rating of 6.90 in the third tier.

As a result of his eye-catching displays, Andersen was named in the League One Team of the Season in April.

Given that Birmingham will be able to offer the defender the chance to play in the Championship again, he could be open to making this particular switch.

Andersen would unquestionably be a good addition to the Blues' squad as he has previously produced a host of assured displays in the second tier.

In the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons, Andersen recorded impressive average WhoScored match ratings of 7.17 and 6.81 over the course of these two Championship terms.

Clearly more than capable of making a positive impact at this level, there is every chance that the defender would become an instant hit at Birmingham.

Given that Andersen's deal with Barnsley is set to expire in 2024, the Blues could potentially negotiate a reasonable fee for the 25-year-old this summer.