Ibrahim Osman starred in Birmingham City’s 2-1 win over Preston North End on Wednesday
Ibrahim Osman of Birmingham City celebrates scoring against Preston
Chris Davies is keen to bring ‘special talent’ Ibrahim Osman back to Birmingham City next season.
Osman starred in Blues’ 2-1 win over Preston North End on Wednesday, assisting the first goal for Jay Stansfield before scoring the second himself.
With four goal contributions in 16 Championship outings, Osman has been a key player for Blues since joining on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion in January and there is clearly appetite for him to return.
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Asked whether he would like to bring Osman back to St Andrew’s next season, Davies said: “Absolutely. We work closely with Brighton and have good communication, feeding back how they’re doing.
“We’ve had James who’s had a good experience here. We’ve had Cashin, he didn’t play too much but he certainly enjoyed the experience here.
“The best place for him is somewhere he’s loved and is going to play, get minutes and keep growing. I’d love him to come back but there’s a lot of moving parts there so we’ll see.”
Brighton paid £16million to sign Osman two years ago and the 21-year-old has been tipped to reach the very top.
There is a feeling that Brighton could part ways with Osman and Auxerre, the club with whom the winger started the season on loan, reportedly had an option to sign him for £13m.
Whether Blues could stretch to the kind of figure Brighton would demand is another matter given the stringent Profit & Sustainability (P&S) rules that Championship clubs have to abide by.
A loan would be more easily financially viable for a player Davies believes has the attributes to become a star in the Premier League.
The Blues manager added: “I’ve said to a few people I do think he’s built for that level. One thing that you need at that level is the speed and the power, especially as a winger if you’re going to outplay an opposition defender.
“He’s got that Premier League pace and the unpredictability of how he moves his body makes him really hard to stop.
“If you add on a little bit of finesse, the finish, the pass, then you’re talking about a very special player and he’s going to get that through games and experience.
“On the other side of it, you can’t play at the top level unless you’re working these days. There’s no space for you if you’re not working back.
“His goals come from pressing, working hard, and going up to win a header and tacking a knock is all working for the team. That’s what I love most about him.
“He’s a special talent and I’m really pleased he’s added that icing on the cake today with a goal and an assist.”
Unfortunately for Osman, his star turn against Preston was cut short after 37 minutes due to a head injury.
Concussion protocols dictate that Osman might have to sit out of Saturday’s St Andrew’s finale against Bristol City, meaning he might have played his last game in front of Blues’ fans.
“My understanding is that he would be OK for the final game,” said Davies. “For this weekend, I would presume not.”
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