Siriki Dembele's performance for Birmingham v Huddersfield - Best Blues signing in years? | OneFootball

Highlights

footballleagueworld video of the day

It was a busy summer transfer window at Birmingham City, following the takeover of the club by American businessman David Wagner and his consortium.

In total, 12 new players were added to John Eustace's first-team squad, in a market that appeared to show the intent the Blues now have under this new regime.

One of those who was brought into the club was Siriki Dembele, with the winger arriving from Premier League side Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract that secures his future at St Andrew's until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Given he never really established himself with Bournemouth after joining them from Peterborough United in January 2022, the 27-year-old will no doubt feel he has a point to prove following this move.

Indeed, he has certainly well in that respect, quickly becoming a vital attacking outlet for Eustace's side, which will be a welcome sight for supporters of the club, following a period where several signings have arguably underwhelmed at St Andrew's.

Siriki Dembele stats v Huddersfield

So with Dembele again shining as Birmingham thrashed Huddersfield Town 4-1 on Tuesday night, we've taken a look at the winger's stats from that game - according to WhoScored - to see just how well he is playing at the moment following that move to St Andrew's, right here.

The main priority for any attacker when it comes to their contributions to the side is of course, the goals they score, and in that respect, Dembele certainly delivered against the Terriers.

Returning to the side for the same time since August after a spell out with injury, the 27-year-old netted two goals in that win on Tuesday, his first a stunning long range strike with just three minutes on the clock to open the scoring, before making it 3-0 shortly after the hour-mark when he curled a shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area, taking him to three goals in six league games this season.

It is not just the goals that will have pleased manager John Eustace about Dembele's performance, but the efficiency with which he took them.

The winger managed four shots over the course of the game, with two of those on target, and hitting the back of the net, highlighting the ruthlessness with which he took Huddersfield out of the game in front of goal.

Meanwhile, the 27-year-old also caused plenty of problems for Darren Moore's side, with plenty of other aspects of his performance.

Despite being substituted with 15 minutes remaining - no doubt to protect him from a fitness perspective - Dembele still completed four dribbles over the course of the game, at least two more than any other player on the pitch.

Another aspect of his game that impressed came with his link-up with his teammates, Dembele recording a pass accuracy of 90%, and from the 20 passes he played, the 27-year-old recorded two key passes, highlighting his efficiency when it comes to his creativity, as well as his finishing.

Given those problems he caused, it is perhaps no surprise that Dembele attracted plenty of attention from Huddersfield's players on Tuesday, with the Blues' summer signing also winning five fouls in that game, again at least two more than any other player on the pitch, emphasising the lengths the opposition had to go to in order to try and stop him here.

It should also be noted that the winger made an important defensive contribution for Birmingham on Tuesday, winning two tackles and making three interceptions before his substitution.

This, therefore, was something of a perfect performance from Dembele, and if he continues to perform like that for the rest of the campaign, he will certainly have made a strong case to be considered one of Birmingham's best signings of recent times.