Every Championship season, there always seems to be one team that makes a late dash for the coveted playoff positions in the drama-heavy division.
Birmingham City will hope they’re just that team this campaign, with the promotion dark horses now only a point off Wrexham in sixth spot, who they went head-to-head with only last season, when the two sleeping giants plied their trade in League One.
Now, they’ve both woken back up in the hustle and bustle of the second tier, with Chris Davies’ men unbeaten across their last seven games in the constantly changing tides of the Championship.
August Priske will hope he can make a big impact as one of Birmingham’s statement January buys, as the promotion-chasing Blues reportedly forked out a hefty £7m to land the much-talked-about Dane.
Why Birmingham paid £7m to sign Priske
To many Birmingham fans, Priske’s name might well not have been widely known before he swapped Sweden for St. Andrew’s.
He definitely justified such an extortionate fee, though, with the 21-year-old powering home an electric 18 goals from just 35 Allsvenskan appearances for ex-employers Djurgårdens IF.
He is yet to get up and running in Birmingham blue, but it will surely only be a matter of time before the goals start flowing.
After all, he was desperately unlucky to see a first goal for the Blues chalked off last time out against West Bromwich Albion, with the Scandinavian sensation only requiring 13 touches of the ball before firing home this effort, which was then ruled out right at the death.
Noted as being an “unbelievable” header all the same by ex-Blues defender Curtis Davies, the hope will be that he has lady luck on his side for the rest of the season, as he puts away the crucial strikes that enable his new side to push into the congested playoff picture.
Priske’s statement arrival has surely pushed this other Birmingham attacker even further down the pecking order, as he begins to seriously worry about his long-term chances in the West Midlands.
Birmingham star is finished after Priske deal
Football is a fast-paced sport, with the food chains at clubs up and down the EFL always constantly changing.
Birmingham have struck gold on “monster” who is worth more than Priske
Birmingham City has already struck gold with this monster, who is worth more than brand-new signing August Priske.
In the summer, Kyogo Furuhashi signing on the dotted line for Davies and Co. would have been met with the same fanfare as Priske joining the building, with a whopping £10m forked out on the ex-Celtic striker’s services.
Now, however, he is remaining rooted to the bench, with Kyogo failing to feature for the promotion hopefuls across their last three Championship outings, as his brand-new counterpart gains the late cameos, instead.
It’s not as if the 23-time Japan international has been banging down the door for more opportunities, with the goal-shy 31-year-old only firing home one second-tier goal all season long.
Along the way, too, from his eight starts, Kyogo has fluffed 12 big chances, and only averaged a measly shot conversion percentage of 3%.
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Kyogo at Celtic vs Birmingham |
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|---|---|---|
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Stat |
(Celtic) |
(Birmingham) |
|
Games played |
165 |
29 |
|
Minutes played |
10,741 mins |
1157 mins |
|
Goals scored |
85 |
3 |
|
Assists |
19 |
0 |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
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It’s a sharp decline from Kyogo at his very best in front of goal for Celtic, with the decorated former Bhoys number eight perhaps even staring the exit door in the face at Birmingham right now, as Priske has stolen his limelight.
EFL pundit Adrian Clarke, speaking on the What The EFL podcast, noted that the ageing attacker is “struggling”, with Birmingham potentially better placed to stick by such a promising talent in Priske than to persist with such an expensive flop, particularly if his ongoing lack of venom costs Davies’ men a seat at the promotion table.
He does still have ample time to turn around his hot-and-cold St. Andrew’s tale, but the near future doesn’t look rosy for Kyogo, as Priske aims to become Davies’ reliable second-in-command striker, over the wasteful number nine.
7 years after leaving, Birmingham City hero is now a huge upgrade on Kyogo
Birmingham City fans must be wishing they kept hold of one star who has taken his career to the next level.