Birmingham City: Kyogo Furuhashi transfer coup is surely a death knell for 29-year-old at St. Andrew’s

Birmingham City: Kyogo Furuhashi transfer coup is surely a death knell for 29-year-old at St. Andrew’s

Kyogo Furuhashi’s signing greatly strengthened Birmingham City’s strike force, and the 2024–25 League One top

scorers hope to be a formidable goal-scoring force in the second division once more.

Before moving to Stade Rennais in January, Furuhashi was one of Celtic’s most dangerous forwards. His career was

somewhat stopped, but many think he will be able to regain his goal-scoring ability soon enough in the

Championship.

Furuhashi joins a Birmingham frontline that includes Scotland number nine Lyndon Dykes, England U21 star and

Blues £15 million project Jay Stansfield, and Alfie May, who has emerged as one of the league’s most prolific third-

tier scorers over the past four seasons.

Although having depth in the team helps throughout a long 46-game season, players may wish to leave as their

personal careers start to stagnate as a result of accumulating so much quality.

And as he seeks to once again be among the first names on the team sheet, former QPR player Dykes may search for

a way out after dropping to the third division only to be made a third-choice option.

Lyndon Dykes’ gametime at Birmingham City was limited in League One

Before moving to Birmingham City last summer, Lyndon Dykes spent all four seasons at Loftus Road as QPR’s

starting striker.

Since he had signed three days before the Blues announced Stansfield’s arrival, the Scotsman likely viewed a transfer

down to League One to play for Birmingham as an enticing proposition, even if it was in a lower tier at the time. In

the short term, this would enable him to be the main striker for a side with a greater ceiling.

That strategy was abruptly derailed by Stansfield’s arrival, though, as Dykes had to contend with a £15 million arrival

and the 2023–24 League One top scorer, not simply Alfie May, for the starting striker spot.

May was frequently picked ahead of Dykes as he maintained his strong run of goal-scoring form to open the season,

and the 29-year-old found it difficult to push both May and Stansfield out of the starting lineup.

Ultimately, Dykes only made 12 appearances in all competitions, and his lone league goal came against Wrexham in

January, a crucial match for the top of the table.

The FA Cup Fourth Round encounter against Newcastle United in February may have solidified his position as a

reserve. Dykes had started the previous two games against League One rivals Lincoln City and Blackpool, but he was

benched again as Chris Davies went with a more potent lineup.

Due to a calf injury that kept him out for the remainder of the season, Dykes last played against Reading in late

February. It’s possible that new players joining the team this summer will mean it was his final game for his present

team.

Kyogo Furuhashi arrival will limit Lyndon Dykes’ game-time even further at Birmingham City

If Chris Davies decides to use just one recognised striker this season, Kyogo Furuhashi, a Japanese international, will

probably take his place as the new starting striker at St Andrews, with Jay Stansfield operating right behind him.

But before August’s start against Ipswich Town, Alfie May and Lyndon Dykes will be fighting for the third-choice

position since you would expect Stansfield to fill in if Furuhashi wasn’t available at any point during the season.

You get the impression that, based on May’s usage and goals from the previous season, Davies might choose to use

her more from the bench than Dykes this season, even though Dykes has a wealth of Championship appearances that

May has not yet had and he physically differs from every other striker option in the squad.

Therefore, the Scot would really profit from a move away if he were to be limited to a fourth option in his position.

And after his experience at QPR, Dykes undoubtedly believes he can still be the centre of attacks for a Championship

team, so even if he stays third choice through May, the 29-year-old may still try to leave.

It’s possible that Lyndon Dykes was already searching for a route out of Birmingham this summer, and Kyogo

Furuhashi’s presence will only make it more likely that he will do so.

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