Birmingham City resist interest in Leeds United, Sheffield United target | OneFootball

Paik Seung-ho has been the subject of bids, but Blues have been able to retain him beyond the end of the summer window.

Birmingham City rejected bids for Paik Seung-ho on deadline day.

According to Mike McGrath, Championship teams had made offers for the midfielder yesterday, but the Midlands club opted to retain him.

With financial fair play rules different in League One, Blues have been given the license to spend a hefty amount in the transfer market, with plenty of new signings arriving this summer.

Alex Pritchard, Jordan James, Juninho Bacuna, Siriki Dembele and Koji Miyoshi were all sold during the window, which helped the Midlands club to raise some income.

But it wouldn't have been a surprise to see more first-teamers leave, especially with Jay Stansfield signing permanently in a £20m deal.

Having spent decent sums on other players too, Tom Wagner has taken a bold stance to keep some of his other first-teamers, but that has put the club in a very strong position to secure a Championship return at the first time of asking.

Paik only joined Blues in January, but could have moved on from St Andrew's already, with clubs taking an interest in him this summer.

According to McGrath, sides from the English second tier even had bids rejected for him on deadline day, with Birmingham deciding to keep hold of the South Korea international, who has shown some promise following his move.

Leeds United were one team that had taken an interest in the 27-year-old, having lost some of their key central midfielders during the summer transfer window.

With the likes of Glen Kamara and Archie Gray both sealing moves away from Elland Road, they needed another option in the middle of the park.

In the end, they were unable to sign Paik, though they were able to secure the signature of Ao Tanaka.

Sheffield United are another club that were reportedly keen on him.

Callum O'Hare may have come in as a central midfield addition, but he can play out wide and usually operates higher up the pitch.

Jamie Shackleton, meanwhile, may be required at full-back at times, so they could have benefitted from securing a central midfield signing.

With Ollie Norwood and Ben Osborn being released and Anis Ben Slimane being loaned out on deadline day, Paik could have been a shrewd addition.

But neither interested team were able to get a deal over the line for Paik in the end.

Paik Seung-ho could be vital for Birmingham City this season

Paik is likely to be a real asset throughout this season, if he can stay fit.

Doing well during the early stages of this term and contributing to some of Blues' wins, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him play a big part in the club's potential promotion back to the second tier.

Keeping him is probably a good decision if Tom Wagner can afford to soak up the losses he has made this window by spending big fees on players.

At 27, the South Korean should be reaching the peak of his playing career shortly and Birmingham should be able to see Paik at his best.

And if he can be a real asset, he should be able to secure a move to a higher level next term, with or without his current team.