Birmingham City made their way into the top six of the Championship on Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 victory over Oxford United at St. Andrew’s.
Paik Seung-ho scored the only goal of the game in the West Midlands in the 40th minute, as Blues continued their unbeaten start to the campaign following a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town on the opening day, followed by a 2-1 victory away to Blackburn Rovers last weekend.
It was a frustrating return to B9 for Gary Rowett, with his Oxford side having just one shot on target from six chances, while the home side who dominated possession.
Nevertheless, Chris Davies will still be keen to see improvements from his players in the coming weeks and the introduction of Lewis Koumas at Birmingham could prove to be extremely useful.
Chris Davies explains what Lewis Koumas will bring to Birmingham City
Ahead of the win over Oxford, Blues announced the signing of Koumas, with the young Liverpool ace joining the club on loan until the end of the season.
Lewis Koumas of Wales shouts during a Wales training session at Vale Resort
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
He spent the 2024/25 campaign with Stoke City, making 43 Championship appearances for the Potters, scoring three goals and registering two assists. Now, Birmingham are hoping that he can find some form on the left wing.
Davies explained what supporters should expect to see from the 19-year-old, he said (via: Birmingham Live): “Lewis is obviously coming from a great club, a great education development he’s had there,” he continued. He’s had a loan now, obviously his first loan at Stoke, he’s coped well with the Championship last season, played a lot of games.
“He’s a winger, can play across the front, left, right and can play in the middle as well. He’s direct, technically good, he’s got a sense of goal and I love the intensity he plays with, he’s not a lad that sort of waits for things to happen.
“He tries to make things happen, so he’ll make runs, he’ll press and give you a lot of that work without the ball as well.
“So I’m really pleased to have him, with us now because I think there was a lot of competition to try and attract him. He’s obviously been involved in preseason at Liverpool, but I’m really pleased that he chose to join us.”
Lewis Koumas will need to find more consistency this season
Koumas showed flickers of brilliance during his time with Stoke, but given the ambitions of Birmingham this season, he will need to step it up a gear in 2025/26.
The winger underperformed his xG (5.13), and having more confidence in front of goal is vital. He also needs to find a way to become more of a creative threat, having created just 18 chances for his teammates at the Potters.
Liverpool loanee Lewis Koumas during Portsmouth FC v Stoke City FC - Sky Bet Championship
Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images
Birmingham could be the perfect club for Koumas to get to the next level. Davies is one of the best young managers in the division and it’s extremely important that the teenager does develop quickly as to have the best chance of making a name for himself at St. Andrew’s.
Nevertheless, Blues have added much-needed depth to their wings and they will be hoping that their good start continues against Leicester City on Friday night.