Birmingham City are reportedly eyeing a move for Middlesbrough’s forgotten man Stewart Downing. The 32-year-old English international has been one of the better performers in Middlesbrough’s disappointing Premier league campaign last season, exhibiting perfectly that he still retains the ability to provide some of the perfect crosses from the flanks.
Well, it has surely caught Birmingham’s new boss Harry Redknapp’s eyes and the former Tottenham Hotspur boss is keen to bring him in as he rebuilds the side. Revealing his transfer plans to the media, Redknapp said, “We have got plenty of irons in the fire, we are hoping to make some signings in the next week or so. The closer you get to the deadline prices get cheaper. But we have got targets, I am hoping this week maybe we can get a player or two in.”
He is clearly seeking experience in his side at a cheaper rate and the pursuit of Downing should more than suffice for that as the Teesside has decided to release their homegrown star. Downing would be available for free and Redknapp, who has been a fan of the player since his Tottenham days, isn’t going to miss this chance at any cost.
Birmingham had a nightmarish season in the Championship last term as they escaped relegation by just two points. They could only collect 53 points in 46 games, which shows how much they have degraded since their relegation from top-flight football.
Attack, especially, has been their weakest suit as they could score just 45 goals all season, which is the lowest among all the teams that survived the relegation. Even Nottingham Forest, who finished level on points with Blackburn Rovers, the last side to get relegated, and below Birmingham could score 62 goals.
Redknapp knows well that in a tournament like Championship, which gives little breathing space to the sides, consistency is the key; and Downing can bring exactly that. He managed to make 30 league appearances last season, where he scored once and assisted thrice. This doesn’t, of course, say a lot about of attacking attribute for Boro has largely stuck to their negative football where they hardly went on the offensive.
Downing also had an FA Cup goal for Boro against Accrington Stanley in the fourth round before they bowed out eventually. His rift with Boro’s previous manager Aitor Karanka further took a hit to his first team action but he showed his class in the little chances he got.
He created 29 chances last term, completing 755 passes from the attacking third and with a decent passing accuracy of 82%. His inclusion would surely bring in huge chunks of experience for Birmingham.
