Birmingham City, Leicester City and Southampton in race to sign PL Attacker
Birmingham City are pushing hard to sign Brighton & Hove Albion attacker Andi Zeqiri this week, as per Charlie Gordon.
Zeqiri, 24, spent last season on loan in Switzerland.
He made 50 appearances in all competitions for FC Basel and scored 18 goals, assisting another two.
The Swiss international enjoyed a strong league campaign with 11 of those goals coming in 30 league outings and he returned to the south coast earlier this summer.
He’s yet to feature consistently for the Seagulls and with Roberto De Zerbi’s side growing stronger by the week it seems his chance at the club may be over.
It has been reported the Blues are among those interested in signing Zeqiri on a permanent deal this week with fellow Championship sides Leicester City and Southampton also mentioned. A decision is expected soon.
Tough competition
Both Leicester City and Southampton are sides who will be pushing towards the top end of the table this season and that may be tempting for a player like Zeqiri.
However, John Eustace’s Birmingham City have enjoyed a strong window and also look to be kicking up the table this season. He may be guaranteed more game time at the Blues and that could prove a deciding factor when he makes a decision this week.
The 24-year-old can play in several positions. Most of his professional games have come down the middle of a front three and on the face of it he looks like a player who would thrive in the second tier.
This one is one to watch in the final few days of the window and it will be interesting to see if any of the interested Championship sides manage to pull a deal off this week.
How does Southampton’s middle look with Downes, Smallbone and Charles?
DEBUTANT Flynn Downes did enough to make the holding midfield position his own despite being forced on too early during Saturday’s 2-1 win over QPR.
It was as though the former England under-21 international had never left the tutelage of his former manager Russell Martin.
One year on from his move from Swansea City, playing under Martin, to Premier League West Ham United, the boss gave the 24 year old a second club Championship bow.
Downes is best described as controlled, composed and precise and exampled exactly why in his first 65 minutes at St Mary’s.
His 116 out of 117 passes completed were match-leading and exactly what he is put into the hole to do – retain the ball and refrain from leaving his back-four exposed.
“Flynn got his move to the Premier League playing in this division and he will be outstanding for us,” Martin said.
“I’m really pleased for Flynn, he probably shouldn’t have played that long being honest but it was a call we had to make and I think he was great.”
On a deeper dive into Downes’ passing statistics, he completed 100 per cent of his short (71) and medium (41) attempts, with his only long pass failing to successfully land.
After just one appearance, looking for trends is mostly pointless. However, the eye test alone tells us Downes is all but a certain starter in that role.
It could leave Martin with a couple of issues. Namely, summer signing Shea Charles and academy graduate Will Smallbone, who has just signed a new three-year contract.
So far, Martin’s midfield threes have been compromised of a number six, a number eight and something you would classify as a number eight/10 hybrid.
Based on the opening matches of the Championship season, you could have argued the strongest position for both of them is in the six.
Although Smallbone helped break Championship records on the opening day at Sheffield Wednesday – completing 142 of 147 pass attempts – he will not be a problem.
The Republic of Ireland international spent most of his career playing more advanced and will likely return to the starting XI, if fit, as an eight at Sunderland on Saturday.
Charles, tested only as a six, will potentially find his natural position blocked by new arrival Downes with conversations before pre-season focusing on his usage there.
However, asked if he can see Charles and Downes playing in a midfield together, Martin told the Daily Echo: “Flynn can definitely play higher up and I think Shea can as well.
“Flynn will be here for a season, who knows what will happen beyond that, but he will be here for a season and Shea Charles will be a better player for it.
“It takes the pressure of a 19 year old kid to come in and play every week in such a pivotal position for us.
“It’s mutually beneficial for Flynn to come and try to play every week and get back to playing with a group of staff that really love him, trust him and respect him.”
Last season, Southampton were forced to rely on young players in many positions but Martin identified early to club leadership that this area could not be one of those.
Martin sees Downes as someone who can guide and teach £15million acquisition Charles, taking on information in his first season as a senior player.
“For Shea, it will help him to come in when the time is right like he did against Plymouth Argyle, where he was excellent and has earned the opportunity to go again,” he added.
“They will push each other but there will definitely be times where they play in the same team for sure; there will be certain games that require that.”
Versatility across the pitch is something Martin admires and he has it in abundance in his midfield options.
Charles, Downes and Smallbone could even form a midfield trio of their own with Downes proven to play at least two of the roles and Smallbone all three.
Add in Stuart Armstrong (eight/10), Charly Alcaraz (10) and Adam Armstrong (eight/10) and Martin has a midfield conundrum on his hands – not a bad thing, in a 46-game season.
With all the options on the table, Charles should have the freedom to develop at his own pace – but his early performances see him more than worthy of a start.
In 206 minutes of action, he is top six at Saints for progressive carries (six) and top five for progressive passes (19).
His seven interceptions lead the club and is among the top 20 in the entire league – Martin also likes his aggressiveness in attacking balls in both boxes.
Manchester City product Charles can pull the added trump card of playing in central defence and this may play a more prominent part than initially expected.
“It’s a position he won’t play for us long term, but he can definitely fill in there because he’s done it a lot at Man City and the age groups,” Martin had told the Daily Echo in July.
Lyanco now looks set to leave for Qatar and Jack Stephens may spend an extended period on the sideline through injury. Armel Bella-Kotchap’s future is uncertain.
After impressing alongside Jan Bednarek against QPR, Charles will have to contend with the new loan signing of Mason Holgate and the possible addition of Swansea’s Nathan Wood.
Saints have definitely signed another promising talent in Charles but exactly what his role entails this season will be interesting to see.
