Birmingham City tipped to sign Lee Buchanan alternative and loan out striker | OneFootball

FLW's Blues' fan pundit thinks the club will sign a new left-back and allow Ayumu Yokoyama to leave on loan in the new year

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Birmingham City's FLW fan pundit has predicted that Blues will sign another left-back in January to provide cover for the injured Lee Buchanan, as well as loan out Japanese forward Ayumu Yokoyama and then potentially bring in a replacement for him too.

Blues have taken League One by storm so far this term, and look on track to return to the Championship at the first time of asking under Chris Davies.

They spent close to £30m on incoming deals in the summer in their quest for promotion, and have been nearly flawless in the third-tier so far, with nine wins, two draws and just one loss in their first 12 league games, yet have encountered a few issues regarding their squad that are set to be addressed in the January window.

Left-back predicted to be on Blues' radar in January

Left-back Lee Buchanan joined Birmingham last year from German side Werder Bremen for a reported fee of €1.5 million, and made 32 appearances last season with the view to being Davies' first-choice in that position for this campaign.

Blues did not sign another out-and-out left-back this summer, as a result, but the 23-year-old suffered a calf injury in July and is yet to even feature in any game so far this term after numerous setbacks in his recovery process.

Summer signing Alun Cochrane, who is a left-wing-back or left-winger by trade, has been filling in at left-back this season as a result of Buchanan's problems, and FLW's Blues fan pundit, Mike Gibbs, thinks that the club will delve into the transfer market for a new addition on the left side of defence in the new year, after we asked him to predict something that he could see happening at the club in the January transfer window.

“I think we will bring another left-back in." Mike told FLW.

“Lee Buchanan has been injured for the entire season, and it's definitely the one area that feels like we’re short.

“We don’t really have anyone that can cover there either. It’s not like right-back, where we’ve got two right-backs, plus Taylor Gardner-Hickman, who can play there as well."

Potential January loan exit forecasted for Ayumu Yokoyama

One of Blues' more low-key summer additions came from the J-League, as Japanese forward Ayumu Yokoyama joined from Sagan Tosu in August to become Davies' 10th signing of the transfer window.

21-year-old Yokoyama has made 11 appearances so far this term, but is yet to start in his six league outings, and has seen most of his minutes come in the EFL Cup and EFL Trophy, with the likes of Emil Hansson and Keshi Anderson preferred in bigger games on the left-wing.

Given his lack of game-time in the third-tier, Mike has predicted him to make way in the new year so the club can bring in more competitive attacking depth in his place.

“There is potential for Ayumu Yokoyama to go out on loan, and if he does, I think we’ll look to replace him.

“I actually think he should stay at the club, but it’s going to depend on how much game-time he gets.

Yokoyama's potential departure in January will definitely depend on his form in the lead up to the window, as he has certainly impressed against lesser opposition in the EFL Trophy so far, with a brace against Fulham under-21s, but will surely need to prove himself off the bench in league games to keep his place in the squad.

It remains to be seen how much Blues will be willing to spend in the new year to bring in fresh faces to Davies' squad, but it would not be a shock to see them splash the cash to make sure of promotion and begin early preparations for the second-tier, with players also needing to make way if that happens.