He’d be Kyogo 2.0: Birmingham looking at incredible deal to sign £14m star
t must be difficult not to get carried away if you’re a Birmingham City fan at present.
After all, £10m was recently splurged out on Kyogo Furuhashi to boost an already potent forward line, on top of the fact that pre-season action kicked into gear with a bang as the new-look Blues confidently beat Spanish titans Sevilla 3-1.
Any naysayers doubting Birmingham ahead of the upcoming Championship campaign might well have been silenced after this impressive victory, with more new signings now being tipped to join the exciting St. Andrew’s rollercoaster before pre-season is up.
Birmingham now targeting move for Premier League star
Despite a barrage of fresh signings entering the building, only Phil Neumann out of all the summer buys would be unleashed from the get-go against Sevilla, as Davies dripfeeds minutes to his whole camp before the second tier comes into view.
Taichi Hara could soon be another option the Blues boss tests out across the remaining pre-season fixtures, with reports suggesting that Birmingham have added the Japanese gem to their shortlist after he has impressed out in the J1 League with Kyoto Sanga.
Alongside him, Birmingham could tap into the Asian market even more by snapping up Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Hwang Hee-Chan.
Indeed, a development from South Korean journalist Han June has suggested that the newly promoted side views the Old Gold number 11 as a main target due to his top-flight experience in England.
This might well result in Birmingham pulling off another ambitious swoop like the Kyogo deal, with both players in question hailing from Asia, but both well-known and exciting entities when plying their trade in some demanding divisions up and down the United Kingdom.
Why Hwang could be Kyogo 2.0
Whilst Hwang has fallen down the Molineux pecking order since Vitor Pereira’s arrival on the scene, his goalscoring record at the very top for Wolves at his prime will be enough to convince Blues fans that this is a worthwhile capture to chase after.
22 Premier League goals have come his way since he moved to the West Midlands for £14m, with 12 of those being fired home across the 23/24 season, leading to then Old Gold boss Gary O’Neil hailing the South Korean marksman as “excellent” for his clinical nature in front of goal.
On top of that, his goalscoring expertise also stretches out to a standout spell leading the line for Austrian side RB Salzburg, with a bumper 45 strikes collected, with three of those goals even coming in the illustrious Champions League.
Kyogo is well-versed in what it takes to be a goalscoring menace at this intimidating level, too, with three of his mammoth 151 career strikes falling on Europe’s grandest stage.
| Hwang’s career numbers by position vs Kyogo’s | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hwang | |||
| CF | 168 | 61 | 35 |
| LW | 45 | 9 | 4 |
| RW | 32 | 5 | 3 |
| AM | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyogo | |||
| CF | 177 | 105 | 29 |
| LW | 99 | 31 | 22 |
| SS | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| RW | 11 | 3 | 1 |
| Sourced by Transfermarkt. | |||
But, as can be seen looking at the table above, they both won’t just be vying to steal the striker limelight off Jay Stansfield or Alfie May, with Hwang and Kyogo more than comfortable sneaking out to the left wing if needed, alongside also slotting nicely into Davies’ 4-2-3-1 system as a presence just behind by the main striker.
Hwang wasn’t just labelled as a talent who has “got everything” by ex-Arsenal great Ian Wright by fluke, with the 29-year-old a real standout purchase for the Blues if it goes through.
There are some hurdles for Birmingham to overcome in terms of fee and wage costs, but if Birmingham wants to accelerate to that next level quickly, it might well be worth throwing the necessary cash at Hwang, much like they did when forking out £10m for Kyogo.
Former Portsmouth and Coventry City duo make surprise pre-season appearance as search for new home continues
Pompey are set to announce John Swift as their second signing of the summer as anticipation grows ahead of the new season.
With the August 9 curtain raiser against Oxford United less than a month away, the race continues for John Mousinho to strengthen his squad.
There are still a number of key areas which need to be addressed before deadline day on September 1, with the Blues looking to build on last season’s 16th-placed finish.
Although Pompey are still looking to add to the squad, there are two former players who are looking to utilise the close season for different reasons.
Tom Davies and Jordy Hiwula have both turned to the PFA for support in their bid to find a new club this summer.
The ex-Blues duo have linked-up with the PFA-led training camp which is designed for out-of-contract members to keep their fitness levels up should sides come calling.
The pair are two of 40 new free agents to join the 10-week programme, which is now in it’s second year after being set up in 2024.
The camp allows players to have access to spa and gym facilities, strength and conditioning sessions, training and matches, with six fixtures already lined-up.
In fact, it has already been utilised by Swift this summer following his departure from West Brom – although he is not apart of the latest group with a move to Pompey closing in.
Davies and Hiwula become the latest to join the pre-season set-up, along with big names including Scotland international Angus Gunn, ex-Charlton and Preston defender Patrick Bauer and former Newcastle man Paul Dummett.
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