Birmingham City are aiming to develop a squad ready to challenge at the top of the Championship during the forthcoming summer transfer window.
The Blues won League One with an incredible 111 points under Chris Davies, who joined at St. Andrew’s last summer, and are now vying for promotion to the Premier League.
They are already apparently looking to bolster their playing team ahead of their return to the second tier, with a League One player rumoured to be on their radar.
Birmingham make an offer to a League One star.
According to GIVEMESPORT, Birmingham have made a contract offer to Peterborough United forward Kwame Poku, whose tenure with the Posh is set to expire at the end of next month.
According to the source, Blues director of football Craig Gardner presented the offer to the player’s agents during a Zoom conference, as they seek to finalise a deal for the winger despite fierce competition for his services.
It says that up to 26 teams, including Celtic, Rangers, Sheffield United, and Sunderland, are interested in signing the 23-year-old starlet, indicating that Birmingham will have stiff competition.
If the Blues win the contest for his services, they may discover an upgrade on Kieran Dowell, who returned to Rangers following his loan stay in the second half of the season.
Why might Kwame Poku be an upgrade over Kieran Dowell?
The Ghana international primarily plays as a left-footed forward on the right of a front three, a position similar to that of Dowell at St. Andrew’s, where he played centrally or on the right of the offensive midfield trio.
The Rangers loanee scored five goals and provided four assists in 19 League One outings, after failing to score or assist in 12 Premiership games for the Scottish club in the first half of the season.
Poku, on the other hand, might give even more talent than the former Norwich City midfielder if the Blues can complete a deal to recruit him after his contract with Peterborough expires.
The Ghana international’s performances in League One during the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons suggest that he has the potential to contribute more as a goal scorer and creator on the right side, cutting in with his left foot.
| Kwame Poku (League One) | 23/24 | 24/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 37 | 27 |
| Goals | 11 | 12 |
| Big chances missed | 11 | 3 |
| Big chances created | 10 | 9 |
| Key passes per game | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| Assists | 7 | 8 |
| Stats via Sofascore | ||
As shown in the table above, Poku scored more than twice as many goals and supplied twice as many assists in only eight more appearances than Dowell in the third tier.
This means that the Posh star, who manager Darren Ferguson characterised as “unplayable,” could have a greater influence in the Championship as an offensive force next season.
As a result, it may make more sense for Birmingham to continue pursuing Poku, as they appear to be doing in light of this current report, rather than attempting to recruit Dowell on a permanent basis from Rangers.
Of course, Davies may want more depth in his offensive choices and might add Dowell as a squad option out wide and at number ten, but Poku may be a significant upgrade on him on the flank.
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