Instant Neumann upgrade: Birmingham line up move for “heroic” EFL star
The defenders more than contributed to Birmingham City’s League One victory by keeping out several dangerous
third-tier attackers, even though the Blues’ incredible offensive armament surely helped them cruise to the
championship with 81 goals scored.
At the end of their nearly faultless 46-game campaign, Chris Davies’ team would have the division’s toughest
defensive, with just 31 goals allowed overall thanks to Christoph Klarer at the back, demonstrating their formidable
character.
Still, the reawakened giants won’t be resting on their laurels moving back up to the Championship, with signings all
over the pitch rumoured to join the impressive St Andrew’s ranks.
Birmingham’s growing list of transfer targets
Davies’ team is well aware that chairman Tom Wagner will once more provide the Blues with enough money to make
some high-profile acquisitions, so they won’t be satisfied with just making up the numbers the following season after
promotion.
To strengthen their strong forward areas, Birmingham has already been linked to significant deals for League One
sensation Kwame Poku and former star Che Adams. There have also been rumours of a deal for Irish goalkeeper
Mark Travers.
However, the ever-expanding list of statement targets doesn’t end there. According to journalist Alan Nixon, the
recently promoted team may make another run for the highly regarded Harry Darling, who Birmingham has also had
on their shopping list.
Davies and company could be able to get the seasoned Swansea City centre-back for free because his contract with
the Welsh team is soon to expire, but the 25-year-old is also apparently being pursued by Wrexham, another
promoted outfit.
The rivalry for spots in the heart of defence would be tough because, amazingly, Birmingham would be able to sign
Hannover 96 powerhouse Phil Neumann, who is also expected to join the Blues this summer from the Bundesliga, as
an instant upgrade if a deal were to go through.
How Darling would be an upgrade on Neumann
Winning both Neumann and Darling in quick succession would make sense, with the likes of Grant Hanley exiting
St. Andrew’s at the expiry of his contract, alongside Dion Sanderson’s future at the club being up in the air after a
loan stint at Blackburn Rovers.
But, if it was a toss-up between the two new potential centre-backs as to who would partner a formidable Klarer
moving forward, Darling could well get the nod over the 6 foot 3 German when picking apart their impressive
2024/25 numbers below.
| Darling vs Neumann & Klarer in 2024/25 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stat (* = per 90 mins) | Darling | Neumann | Klarer |
| Games played | 39 | 32 | 43 |
| Goals scored | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Assists | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Touches* | 74.5 | 64.4 | 91.8 |
| Accurate passes* | 53.9 (88%) | 38.9 (83%) | 68.4 (88%) |
| Ball recoveries* | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.5 |
| Clearances* | 5.0 | 5.2 | 5.6 |
| Total duels won* | 4.9 | 4.3 | 7.5 |
| Clean sheets | 12 | 10 | 18 |
| Stats by Sofascore | |||
Darling has 108 career games under his belt in the challenging Championship, so he has a wealth of English game
experience right out of the gate.
Additionally, this season, the soon-to-be free agent has outperformed Neumann in the German top division in terms
of winning duels and has averaged a higher pass accuracy per league match in the second division.
Neumann would still be vying for a starting position here, of course, but Birmingham has to make the move if they
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