Blues won’t stand in the way of Lyndon Dykes if he wants to depart the club for regular football in January.
But manager Chris Davies insisted that he wants Dykes’ immediate focus to be on the task in hand at St. Andrew’s.
The striker has expressed his desire to be playing more regularly to further his Scotland involvement with the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico coming this summer
The 30-year-old has started just two games for Blues this season, but been used as a substitute on another 15 occasions, and is having to play joint-third fiddle to Jay Stansfield and Marvin Ducksch at the top end of the pitch – although he has sometimes been getting onto the pitch sooner than big-money summer addition Kyogo Furuhashi.
Dykes has scored two winning goals in that time, and Davies says that while he will work with the forward to secure him a move if it’s in everyone’s best interests, he wants his concentration to be fixed on Blues until the window opens.
Dykes was close to moving to Scottish Premiership outfit Hibernian in the run-up to the summer transfer window closing, but nothing materialised in the end.
Davies said: “I talk to Lyndon a lot. He wants more game-time.
“Since he’s been here, he’s such a good impact player for us. He comes on, he’s scored two winning goals.
“He gives a lot of energy. Even the other night at QPR he came on and won a few tackles and showed that physicality and personality.
“Due to the decisions I’ve made he’s not had the game-time he would want but I still value and trust him – that’s the other side of it.
“He knows that. I’ve told him that.
“But I think we have to work with our players, not against them.
“And if it comes to a stage where there’s not enough game-time for him and everyone’s in agreement that it’s best for him to move on, then we will work with him.
“I’m cautious looking too far ahead to the January window because we have six or seven games before then and a lot can happen in that time.
“By the time we play our FA Cup tie, there will be 20 games to go and the landscape is a lot clearer and I think we can make decisions on everyone.
“But as we stand here today, I see Lyndon as an important, valued member of the squad.”
Davies added that he wanted to be fair to two the club’s loanees – Liverpool’s Lewis Koumas and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Eiran Cashin – neither of whom have featured heavily so far this season.
Koumas has made 15 Championship appearances since arriving from Anfield, yet the Wales international has played just six minutes of Blues last five matches, and has started four league games over the whole course of his stay.
Cashin has also struggled for regular games, with his substitute showing against QPR in midweek his first outing since the win over Preston North End on October 21.
However, Davies is mindful of the fact that there are five games to play before the window opens and will defer any decision on them until the New Year.
Davies added: “Behind the scenes, we’re progressing with what we want to identify and bring in.
“You should be well underway with that process.
“But I just feel with it be too early to dismiss the likes of Lewis Koumas, who hasn’t played as much as he would have liked.
“I’ve said to Lewis – and it’s not always easy for players to hear it – but there are going to be games where you are going to be playing soon because we just have so much going on in December.
“That situation can change really quickly. You can come into the team, you know, you play really well, you’re get a goal and assist, and all of a sudden it can transform.
“So I think it’d be hasty to sort of rush into those sort of things, but I think it’s also fair for these players – because they’re on loan – and if it’s not working out for them in January, then there’s obviously, a solution to it, and that keeps their spirits up and their motivation levels high.
“So on those ones, I would defer the decision until January because I think that’s the best time to make that decision.”
