Birmingham City face a vital few weeks as they aim to avoid relegation from the Championship.
The Blues are set to return to action after the international break with a huge game on Friday afternoon.
They are set to travel to Loftus Road to face fellow strugglers QPR. That match will be Gary Rowett’s first since returning to the club as interim manager, after Tony Mowbray was forced to temporarily step back for health reasons.
With that the first of eight games they have to play between now and the end of the season, Birmingham City are currently 21st in the Championship table.
As things stand, they are only outside the relegation zone on goal difference. It is therefore essential for the club to pickup some positive results between now and the end of the season.
One player who may well be key to any hopes Birmingham City have of doing that, is Jordan James.
An impressive season for Jordan James
Despite his side’s struggles, this has been a strong campaign for James from a personal perspective.
The 19-year-old midfielder has scored eight goals in 36 Championship appearances for the club during the current campaign.
His form for Birmingham City has also seen him win his first senior international caps for Wales.
Speaking after the first of those outings, Wales manager Rob Page claimed that James is a player who ‘has got everything’.
However, all of that also means that Birmingham City’s only chance of retaining the midfielder beyond the end of this season, is avoiding relegation from the Championship.
Birmingham City will struggle to keep Jordan James in League One
Back in the January transfer, Serie A side Atalanta saw offers to bring James to Italy from St Andrew’s rejected.
It has since been claimed that the midfielder will ‘almost certainly not’ be joining the Italian side when the market reopens in the summer.
However, there are still a number of Premier League clubs who are seemingly keen on the Birmingham City starlet.
Indeed, there have been reports that Crystal Palace have retained their interest in the teenager, from the January window.
As a result, keeping their Championship status will surely be key to any chance of the Blues keeping James for next season.
If they are a League One club, the financial blow they would be hit with from the drop down a division, means they would surely have to accept an offer that a Premier League club would be able to make, given the money available to clubs at that level.
Beyond that, if Birmingham City were to be relegated, it is unlikely that James is going to want to remain at St Andrew’s. The player will be well aware of the fact that he is capable of playing at a much higher level than League One, and will no doubt want to do so.
In turn, that too would put further pressure on the Blues to sell, if, as looks likely, that interest from the Premier League does emerge once again in the summer.
However, if they are still in the Championship come the summer, they will be in a financially stronger position to respond to any offers for James, given he effectively still has two years remaining on his contract.
It is also worth remembering the promise that Birmingham City had shown under Mowbray prior to his absence. That could mean James may believe that if the club avoid relegation, they can push on and give him opportunities at a highest level from next season with the progress they make.
With all that in mind, it seems clear that any hope the Blues have of retaining James long-term, will surely depend on the events of the next few months.