Nathan Redmond In: Realistic last-minute transfers Birmingham City should try and secure | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at two last-minute options to boost Birmingham's squad.

Unsurprisingly, Birmingham City have been rampant in League One this season.

Chris Davies’ Blues have raced ahead of the chasing pack and are in a commanding position to go on and achieve automatic promotion, if not win the league title. Birmingham also have two games in hand on both of their nearest challengers, Wycombe Wanderers and Wrexham.

The Blues hit the headlines in the summer, when they bought striker Jay Stansfield from Fulham after his successful loan spell last term. That fee was reported by Sky Sports to be in excess of £15million, a simply staggering fee for a club in the third tier of the pyramid.

Birmingham had already broken the division’s transfer record twice in the summer, with Stansfield becoming the third occasion.

By comparison, their January window has been very understated so far. They have made just two additions to their already incredibly strong squad, in the form of experienced centre back Grant Hanley from Norwich City, and talented midfielder Kieran Dowell on loan from Rangers.

The Blues have still lost just two league games all season and, given the gap that they have already put between themselves and the teams outside the automatic promotion places, will surely be preparing for life back in the Championship in this January window.

With that in mind, here are two transfers they should try and get over the line before the window draws to a close on Monday.

Nathan Redmond

A sensational return to Birmingham has been a genuine possibility for the former Blues academy product for a while now.

Alan Nixon first reported that the Blues were interested in bringing Redmond back to his boyhood club back in December. Latest reports from Darren Witcoop have suggested that there are several clubs interested in the Burnley winger, meaning Birmingham could face competition from multiple angles if they are to secure an emotional return for Redmond.

Burnley’s own situation has also changed in the last few days. The Clarets lost out to Middlesbrough in their pursuit of Plymouth Argyle star Morgan Whittaker, which means it isn’t entirely impossible that Redmond could actually feature in Scott Parker’s plans once again.

Redmond made 83 appearances for the Blues before departing for Norwich City as a 19-year-old back in 2013. The Canaries paid a reported fee of up to £3.2million for his services.

Redmond has since gone on to carve out a successful career for himself at the top level. He’s notched 28 goals and 26 assists across 276 Premier League appearances for Norwich, Southampton and Burnley.

He even gained experience in the Europa League while at Southampton and has also spent a season playing in the Turkish Super Lig with Besiktas.

Still only 30, Redmond still has plenty to give. His mazy dribbling has always made him a threat and the quality of his end product has improved hugely over the years.

This is a transfer that would be made with both emotional and footballing intentions at heart. It would be great for both the club and the player to go back to where it all began, but Redmond would also represent a genuine quality option for Davies’ side.

He would also be more than capable of making the step-up to Championship level next term. Birmingham look like they may have to battle off other suitors if they are to bring Redmond back to St Andrew’s, but they certainly aren’t short of the cash to outbid anyone, even if they are clubs from higher leagues.

Redmond would undoubtedly be a fantastic addition if Birmingham can get this one over the line in time.

Ryley Towler

This would probably be one of the more understated and perhaps less exciting deals since Knighthead’s takeover of Birmingham, but Towler could serve a purpose on a short-term basis.

According to Darren Witcoop, the Pompey centre back is likely to head out on loan to a team in League One until the end of the season.

With Krystian Bielik the subject of interest from Championship strugglers Stoke City, it looks entirely possible that Birmingham could lose a centre half between now and the Monday deadline.

If that Bielik deal does end up coming to fruition, it may make sense for Birmingham to dip into the loan market until the end of the season.

Ben Davies and Christoph Klarer have played every minute of the Blues’ last five league games and look like they have cemented themselves as Chris Davies’ first-choice centre back pairing.

Birmingham also have German centre back Phil Neumann arriving in the summer, with the Hannover 96 man having already signed a pre-contract agreement to make the switch to the Midlands.

With that in mind, as well as the proximity to the end of the window, it makes little sense for Birmingham to splash out on a new permanent option.

Instead, they could be better off adding someone like Towler until the end of the season, as any addition would likely only be a third or perhaps even fourth choice option.

Although still young and relatively inexperienced, Towler has done a steady job for John Mousinho’s Pompey when called upon this season and would be more than capable of stepping into a strong League One side on the odd occasion he is needed.

A loan move for Towler would be a far cry from some of the headline-making moves we’ve seen from Birmingham recently, but it could be an ideal option to tie them over until the summer, when they can explore more permanent options.