Aggressive. Ruthless. Bold. Callous. Shrewd. Impressive. Enterprising. Risky.
Pick your adjective to sum up Blues work in the January 2026 transfer window.
It’s reasonable to suggest ‘disappointing’ or ‘underwhelming’ shouldn’t be among the options.
But, twas ever thus. We will only know if it was a good or bad window for Blues as time goes by.
But one thing is for sure, nobody can accuse Blues of simply standing pat and hoping for the best.
Blues began deadline day by moving out forward Tyler Roberts, to Mansfield Town, where he has been on loan this season.
Blues brought him in from Leeds United on a four-year contract in 2023. That deal for an injury-prone player pretty much summed up where Blues were at, at the time.
The ‘other’ Roberts – Patrick – was then announced as a permanent signing, from Sunderland.
The wideman’s capture was always on the cards, as Chris Davies confirmed talks to that end a couple of weeks back. But it was welcome nonethless as Roberts has impressed on loan from the Black Cats.
Jonathan Panzo’s addition was announced after the 7pm deadline (all the paperwork had gone in before) on a permanent deal from Portuguese side Rio Ave, but only until the season’s end.
Davies wanted another centre-half (left footer) as cover so that requirement was squared off at the death.
Panzo adds to Blues depth and balance, plus he probably has a point to prove having bounced around a fair bit so far in his career.
Winger Scott Wright, who is in need of regular game time after his serious knee injury, joined Dundee on loan.
Those last two manoeuvrings took the tally in January to seven players in, 13 out (regular first teamers).
There was also a loan switch to Queen of the South for under-21s midfielder Menzi Mazwi, who has spent the last eight games on first team duty as an unused substitute, following on from centre-half Tommy Fogarty’s loan to Morecambe.
It wasn’t a dramatic deadline day for Blues. There was no ‘ah sod it, give ’em the money’ a la Jay Stansfield.
And, in truth, it was never going to be that way.
Blues had a determined clarity about what they needed to do in the weeks and days before January trading opened.
The Watford debacle on New Year’s Day solidified those views.
Blues were decisive and aggressive. They had incoming moves in place and actioned them as early as possible, and they were quite ruthless in moving players out.
There was no last minute panicking.
Blues addressed the needs of the team, of the squad. Oh, and they spent around £15 million.
It was obvious that more athleticism, speed and physicality was needed. These deficits continually manifested themselves away from home. A dash of youth has also been added.
In Jhon Solis, Blues brought in a big enforcer, someone who can get about the pitch and compete, bolstering the central areas.
And we have also seen that Ibrahim Osman adds a new dimension with pace and directness on the flank to make Blues less predictable,
The headline signing of Carlos Vicente showed that Blues meant business.
A proven performer in La Liga, Vicente is a strong and forceful wideman. His addition, again, helps provide Blues with a bit more beef plus tactical flexibility as well as extra quality.
Roberts’ loan from Sunderland becoming permanent was another signpost of intent.
To the question ‘why sign Vicente when we already have Roberts?’ the answer is simple – why not? You can’t have enough ability, options and competition coursing through the squad.
Blues will feel they have made upgrades on what they had before this window, as well as being proactive in altering those aforementioned stylistic requirements.
It’s not just style of play, it’s speed of play – moving the ball quicker, and having individuals who can travel quicker and whose intent is forward.
Kai Wagner, the first arrival in January, is an example of that. The left-back’s an alternative to what was already in place, and plays differently.
Centre-forward August Priske is probably the biggest gamble. He is likely to need time to adjust to the bump and grind, and then some, of Championship oxon defenders, as Marvin Ducksch likes to call them.
Davies’ words about the Watford debacle were telling.
That insipid 3-0 loss at Vicarage Road was akin to a watershed. Similar to the Shrewsbury Town defeat last season, after which Davies pragmatically tweaked the way Blues went about things – and they never looked back.
Davies commented:
That was a moment in time. I think there’s moments in a football season, certainly since I’ve been a manager, that are critical moments and that was a critical moment of this season.
I think there were things that needed to change after that game. It was clear to me.
We’ve made improvements in some of those areas. The improved atmosphere and performances have been evidence of that.
After these musings the win at Oxford United came, making it five unbeaten for Blues, and back-to-back away victories in the Championship for the first time in more than three years.
It was maybe a surprise that players like Lyndon Dykes, Keshi Anderson and Marc Leonard (on loan) were so summarily ushered towards the exit door.
And other members of the League One title-winning team Emil Hansson, Alfons Sampsted, Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Willum Willumsson found there was no room for sentiment – ‘bye!
Of the 17 players Blues signed the summer before League One, only now four remain in the current squad: Ryan Allsop, Christoph Klarer, Tomoki Iwata and Stansfield. Quite the turnover.
Loanees Lewis Koumas and Eiran Cashin were not required either – ‘bye!
But, as referenced above, Davies and Blues had a clear vision of what they needed to do and were stony-hearted in executing it.
And certainly, Blues were cleaning house in January.
Whether the moves all pay off in the form of a top six finish, we can’t predict.
January is notoriously difficult to get right and expect new players to hit the ground running. And let’s not forget, five of the seven signings are fresh to the Championship.
Whatever happens between now and May, it promises to be an enthralling ride.
Blues have freshened themselves up and not left their balls dangling in the dust.
