"A big fan" - Birmingham City verdict on potential Swansea City transfer | OneFootball

FLW's Birmingham City fan pundit has given his verdict on the club's interest in Harry Darling

Birmingham City are among the clubs eyeing a possible move for Swansea City defender Harry Darling this January.

According to Darren Witcoop, Blues have set their sights on the 25-year-old as they eye promotion back to the Championship.

However, they face competition from Bristol City, with the player out of contract at the end of the campaign.

Darling has played in all 26 of Swansea’s league games so far this season, with Luke Williams’ side currently 12th in the Championship table.

Harry Darling transfer verdict

When asked about the possibility of signing Darling, and if it should be a priority this month, FLW’s Birmingham fan pundit Mike Gibbs suggested that he’d be a great addition even if a winger is needed more.

He has highlighted the lack of permanent centre-back options at St. Andrew’s, particularly if Dion Sanderson leaves, as one reason why now would be a good time to pursue someone of Darling’s quality, even with the impending arrival of Phil Neumann.

“I think it would be a great deal if we can get it done,” Gibbs told Football League World.

“I’m a big fan of his.

“I think he’s been an ever-present at Swansea this year, he’s young and I think he’s a really good player and fits the mould that we’re looking for.

“I think I’d be surprised to see it happen just because we’ve been linked with Nuemann, the German centre-back, which by the sounds of it is a done deal and is going to be announced imminently.

“I’m not sure it’s necessarily the top priority, but I think a number of Blues fans would agree that it’s probably time for [Dion] Sanderson to move on.

“And I think if he does move on, and given the fact [Ben] Davies is only on loan from Rangers, it only gives you two permanent centre-halves in [Christoph] Klarer and [Krystian] Bielik, and I know there’s been rumours circulating around Bielik in the last few days, I’m not sure where they’ve come from and I don’t know what truth is in them, but that’s slightly concerning.

“While it’s not a top, top priority, and I’d say a winger is, actually it would make sense if we do offload Sanderson and it would give us a bit of certainty around that Davies position.”

Darling signing would be a further show of Birmingham’s ambition

While Birmingham are currently in League One, their transfer business has clearly shown that they don’t intend to hang around in the third tier for very long.

The club have their attention on the Premier League, and signing someone like Darling would be another sign of the ownership’s ambition.

Sanderson has struggled under Chris Davies and a sale this month would make sense, so a replacement will be needed if that comes to pass.

Someone like Darling coming in would be a big upgrade, and would really strengthen the team’s defensive options.