It's fair to say Birmingham City's transfer activity in League One during the recently closed transfer window was a major topic of conversation amongst avid EFL followers all summer long, as the money-rich Blues splashed significant amounts of cash for the lowly division.
Jay Stansfield, alone, on transfer deadline day, set back Birmingham a mind-boggling £20m, setting a record for the division as the most expensive purchase ever made.
The pressure is very much on the Blues to instantly return back to the Championship, therefore, with a failure to do so somewhat embarrassing when you consider the mega millions thrown at this new-look Birmingham team assembled by Chris Davies.
Of course, the whole host of new signings through the door has resulted in a number of previous first-team faces at St Andrew's tumbling down the pecking order, which includes former Wolverhampton Wanderers man Dion Sanderson.
Sanderson's future at Birmingham
The 24-year-old centre-back had found himself out of Davies' first team recently owing to two yellow cards being picked up away at Charlton Athletic on the second match-day of the fresh League One campaign, but he has since struggled to slot back in at the heart of the defence even when back in contention.
The promotion-chasing giants have looked comfortable at the back without their number five being present over the last few league encounters, as new summer recruit from SV Darmstadt 98 in the form of Christoph Klarer has struck up a decent partnership with Blues stalwart Krystian Bielik in the centre-back spots.
Minutes played
90
90
Goals scored
0
0
Assists
1
0
Touches
128
112
Accurate passes
104/112 (93%)
83/95 (87%)
Clearances
4
5
Blocked shots
1
1
Interceptions
1
1
Tackles
1
2
Duels won
7/9
15/19
Looking at their joint numbers when playing together versus Wigan, both Klarer and Bielik will feel super confident about their positions in Davies' starting XI moving forward, with a ridiculous 22 duels won between them against the Latics.
Klarer was even keen to show off his ability on the ball in the contest, helping to assist Scott Wright's last-gasp winner in the game, as the former Rangers man ended his debut at St. Andrew's in the best way possible.
Sanderson will be apprehensive about his chances of breaking back into the first-team going forward, therefore, with the Birmingham number five also somewhat tainted by being a part of the side that saw the Blues fall to League One in humiliating fashion.
It feels like a missed opportunity was had towards the back end of the window to try and offload the 24-year-old, with Salary Sport stating that the 6 foot 2 defender actually earns more per week than Stansfield.
Sanderson's wage at Birmingham
As of 2024, Sanderson finds himself earning a healthy pay packet of £12k-per-week, whilst Stansfield reportedly earned a slightly lesser £10k-per-week last season.
The statement deadline day arrival will want to instantly hit the ground running when he's unleashed onto League One defences soon, having sat out the narrow win against Wigan last time out.
Scoring the strike above when making his debut during his first spell, the former Fulham youth product could become a man-possessed in the league below, having fired home 13 goals from 47 games when the Blues were swamped in a relegation battle in the Championship.
Netting 24 senior goals across his fledging playing days to date, after becoming known as a deadly finisher at youth level for the Cottagers with a staggering 31 strikes managed from just 27 games in the U18 set-up, the 21-year-old will hope he can live up to his bumper new price-tag and his billing as a potent goal machine.
Whereas, Sanderson – who is now looking unsure of his first-team spot – doesn't quite justify his hefty salary, as the 24-year-old now ponders his immediate future in the West Midlands.
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ByKelan SarsonAug 30, 2024
