"Other areas" - Birmingham City urged to look beyond in-demand midfielder | OneFootball

USA international Lennard Maloney has been linked with Birmingham City, but he may not be needed

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 have been linked with Heidenheim defensive midfielder Lennard Maloney.

According to Florian Plettenberg from Sky Sports Germany, Maloney, who is attracting attention from a host of clubs, including three in the Bundesliga, Greek outfit PAOK, and Blues, is expected to be on the move this month.

The United States international has featured regularly for the German club this season, including seven appearances in the Europa Conference League.

While capable of playing in defensive positions, Maloney is typically a defensive-minded central midfielder, a position that Birmingham already find themselves well-stocked in.

Despite his perceived pedigree, particularly compared to League One standards, would the acquisition of the former Borussia Dortmund man be an unnecessary one?

Lennard Maloney should not be a priority

To get a gauge on how these rumours are being perceived by Bluenoses, FLW asked resident Birmingham City pundit, Mike Gibbs,

"I'm a bit split on the Maloney one," he said. "I don't necessarily think we need more depth in that position at the moment, especially when we've got three under-contract long-term midfielders in Paik Seung-ho, Tomoko Iwata and Marc Leonard, who will grow with the club and can all play at a higher level.

"Taylor Gardner-Hickman can play there as well, but he is only on loan. I think it's going to be interesting to see where that goes, whether it be in January or in the summer, and will we look to turn it into a permanent deal?

"Personally, I would. Again, a young and hungry player. So if you assume TGH becomes permanent then we've got four top midfielders then there's an argument recruitment isn't needed. If you've got three, then yes, you're always going to want at least two players in each position.

"I certainly don't see it as a priority this season. I think there should be other areas that we should be looking at."

While recruiting players beyond the necessary requirements of a third-tier escape has become a somewhat characteristic trait of the West Midlands club this season, £4.1 million-valued Maloney may be a step too far.

Gibbs notes that Birmingham's current midfield roster is more than equipped for League One's summit, and likely beyond.

As Gibbs also states, Gardner-Hickman has been performing well for Birmingham this season and the League One club have the option to make that move permanent.

Joining temporarily from Championship side Bristol City on August 23rd, and has seemingly since endeared himself with the supporters, and vice-versa.

While goals and assists are not necessarily part of his game, the impact of TGH at St. Andrews can be made clear by his overall on-pitch success.

In 17 League One appearances thus far, the former England U20 international has brought thirteen wins and just one loss, giving him an overall PPG of 2.56, the highest in the league (FBRef).

Such is the financial disparity of Tom Wagner's side compared to their divisional peers, it would be unsurprising if Maloney did indeed make his way to the table-topping side before the month is up, regardless of whether he was needed. However, they must be wary that a bloated centre of the park could lead to current assets opting for more game time elsewhere come the summer, particularly those on loan.