"He could play in the Premier League" - Transfer claim made on Birmingham City star Paik Seung-ho | OneFootball

Paik Seung-ho has been one of Blues' standouts since his arrival last summer

Birmingham City'sFootball League World fan pundit believes the club will have to brace themselves for transfer interest in star midfield man Paik Seung-ho in the January transfer window.

South Korean international Paik joined Blues in the last January window from K-League side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, and he quickly became one of the most influential players in their team, despite relegation from the Championship in his debut campaign.

The 27-year-old featured 18 times in numerous different midfield positions in his first six months at St Andrews, as he won plaudits for his versatility and technical ability born from his time in Barcelona's youth teams, and he has stepped up even further this season in League One to be one of Chris Davies' key men in their attempts to challenge for an immediate promotion.

Fan pundit predicts January interest in Paik Seung-ho

Paik was reportedly offered a route back to the second-tier late in the summer window, after the Telegraph's Mike McGrath revealed that Birmingham had turned down bids for his services from Championship clubs, amid interest from Leeds United and Sheffield United, but he remained in the West Midlands for this term to the delight of Blues supporters.

He has begun his second season as a clear standout in the third-tier, as many expected, and FLW's Blues fan pundit, Mike Gibbs, named the South Korean international when we asked him which player in their squad he expects to garner the most transfer interest at the club in the January window.

“Obviously so many of the players that have arrived at the club are brand new, I think only three players from the squad at the weekend were here last season, so you can’t expect there to be a huge amount of interest in the squad in January," Mike told FLW.

“The one player that may garner interest would be Paik Seung-ho.

“He has been exceptional for us and could easily play at a higher level.

“He could definitely play at Championship level, I think he did a great job adapting very quickly last year.

“I think there is an argument to be had that, in the right side, he could play in the Premier League too.”

Birmingham will have no intention of selling Paik in January

Blues have started the season exactly how they would have wanted to, as they sit clear at the top of League One after eight games unbeaten, with their aim to bounce straight back to the second-tier looking likely to happen well before the end of the campaign.

Their impressive start can be attributed to numerous different factors, but Davies' side has been anchored by a strong midfield that is led by Paik, as he is one of two outfield players to start every League One game for the club so far this season, and the boss has made his stance on the 27-year-old's future clear in recent weeks.

"There would have definitely been interest in him, but I was very consistent all along that he was going to be a key player this season and in future years," he told Birmingham Live in the aftermath of Blues' win at Rotherham last month.

"He’s an excellent player and an excellent character. In my mind there was no real threat of losing him.

"He has been excellent so far and needs to maintain those standards.”

It is pretty clear that they will stand firmly in the way of any potential transfer advances for him in January, as they did in the summer, with his undeniable importance to the team from the middle of the park set to be key going forward for the rest of the season.

While he is probably the most likely to leave in January simply due to his ability to play at a higher level, it will certainly take a sizeable bid to prise him from St Andrews, with another 18 months left on his contract.