August Priske, Chris Davies
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It has been an excellent start to the season for Birmingham City in the Championship.
Despite an underwhelming 10th-placed finish in their first year back in the Championship last season, Birmingham made the surprise decision to stick with manager Chris Davies this summer, and their faith in the 41-year-old is certainly being rewarded.
Birmingham City announce key off-field appointment amid strong Championship start
Chris Davies, West Bromwich Albion vs Birmingham City (1)
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It was a disappointing afternoon for Birmingham as they were beaten 1-0 at Cardiff City on Saturday to bring their five-game unbeaten run to an end, and it could have been worse for Davies' men had James Beadle not saved Yousef Salech's penalty prior to his eventual winner.
However, it was just the Blues' second league defeat of the season, and while the result saw them drop down to seventh in the Championship table, they are just three points behind second-placed Swansea City and five points behind leaders Middlesbrough.
After a frustrating campaign last season, the feel-good factor has returned to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in recent weeks, and as Birmingham continue to pursue their ambition of a return to the Premier League, they confirmed the appointment of a new Director of Football last week.
The role had been vacant since ex-Blues midfielder Craig Gardner departed the club in June, but John Murtough, who previously spent just over three years as Football Director at Manchester United between 2021 and 2024, has now been announced as his replacement.
Chris Davies reveals potential Birmingham City injury blow that will interest John Murtough
August Priske
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Striker August Priske joined Birmingham in January from Swedish outfit Djurgardens for a fee of around €7 million (£6 million) plus bonuses, but he endured a disappointing start to life in the Midlands as he scored just once in 18 appearances in the second half of last season.
However, Priske has been in fine form in the early stages of this season, scoring five goals in 12 appearances in all competitions, including netting decisive goals against Southampton and West Bromwich Albion, as well as hitting a brace in the 4-0 victory over Preston North End earlier this month.
The Blues were without Priske for the trip to Cardiff on Saturday due to a knock sustained in the previous game against Queens Park Rangers, and while Davies claimed he was "hopeful" that the 22-year-old "can play some part" when his side travel to Lincoln City this weekend, he admitted it was "always going to be a bit of an ask" for him to be fit for the fixture.
With Davies insisting that Priske has "made good progress", it appears that the Dane will not be sidelined for long, even if he does miss Saturday's trip to Sincil Bank, but the situation has highlighted something of a dilemma for Birmingham.
As part of Murtough's remit at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, he will be responsible for recruitment and the club's squad-building strategy, so he may be keen to see how the Blues fare without Priske as the January transfer window looms.
Lincoln City clash could reveal clear Birmingham City transfer priority to John Murtough
John Murtough
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After the defeat to Cardiff, Davies conceded that Priske's absence was "a blow" for Birmingham, stating that the Dane's "presence, quality and mobility" were missed in South Wales during what was a lacklustre performance.
Davies started Luis Vazquez up front against the Bluebirds, but the 25-year-old made little impact before being taken off just after the hour mark as the wait for his first goal for the Blues since his summer move from Belgian side Anderlecht continues.
If Priske is unavailable on Saturday, Davies may decide to give Vazquez another opportunity against Lincoln, or he could hand Marvin Ducksch his first start of the season, but reports emerged this week claiming that the German is keen to leave the club in January after falling down the pecking order in recent months.
Another option for Davies is to move Jay Stansfield from the number 10 position he has occupied for much of this season, but despite scoring just once in 14 appearances so far, the 23-year-old has performed well in his deeper role, so the Birmingham boss may be reluctant to disrupt his current momentum.
It was a relatively quiet summer transfer window for the Blues, and some supporters felt that the club should have brought in another striker to provide cover for Priske, particularly with Kyogo Furuhashi departing for LA Galaxy.
Birmingham's lack of depth in the forward areas was exposed against Cardiff last weekend, and should they be without Priske again this weekend, Murtough may get an early indication of a problem he needs to address in January.