Birmingham City have plummeted down the table under Wayne Rooney’s guidance, with four defeats from his opening five games.
Rooney already seems to be a man under pressure. But there’s a sense that the board will give him ample time to turn things around and perhaps, ample resources for the January transfer window.
Blues had a successful summer transfer window and things were looking positive under John Eustace.
But matters have worsened in a very short space of time. Rooney is failing to get the best out of these players who were previously performing well under Eustace, so it seems like Rooney will use the January window as a chance to put his own stamp on this Birmingham City side.
But writing for Birmingham Live, journalist Alex Dicken has suggested that Rooney may not have the most resources for January.
He wrote in a recent Q&A:
“I asked him about this last week, about him much wriggle room there is and how many deals can be done, because we know that Blues are working against a backdrop of Financial Fair Play issues and need to fall in line. The key thing he said was, ‘It depends where we’re at’, so that suggests to me it depends where they are in the league, whether they have a shout of promotion or if they’re in trouble and need to sign players to beat off the threat of relegation.
“I think the bulk of the business will be done next summer because there are so many players coming off the books and a lot of them are big earners. He did say there are players who he would like to bring in. They might have to move things around for that.”
A tough January coming up for Blues?
After spending well in the summer and signing a horde of new players, it may have been expected that the January window would be less active for Birmingham City.
But given Blues’ struggles in the league and the board’s want for Rooney to succeed, they might be forced to spend wherever they can.
Rooney is lacking some squad depth right now and injuries haven’t helped his cause either.
Blues, despite adding quality across the pitch in the summer, could do with new faces in most positions; particularly at full-back and across the back line in general, with another striker and a goal-scoring midfielder perhaps the most obvious wants right now.
Like Dicken suggests though, Rooney and Birmingham City could be limited by Financial Fair Play, and by their league position when January rolls around.
If Blues are in a better position then the board might see no need to bolster, but if they remain in 18th then there might be a definite need for additions.