This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Birmingham City have enjoyed a sharp upturn in form recently.
Blues entered the 2025/26 campaign with a lot of expectation to perform, after clinching the previous season’s League One title in record-breaking fashion.
Chris Davies and Co. brought in a number of high-profile signings, with operators such as Kyōgo Furuhashi, Tommy Doyle and Demarai Gray all making the switch to St. Andrew’s.
Birmingham looked capable of living up to their hype early on, picking up seven points from their first three contests. However, that form wouldn’t prove to be sustainable, and the Second City side would only win three of their next 11 clashes in all competitions.
This led to increased pressure on manager Davies from supporters, who questioned whether he was the right person to lead them forward.
Birmingham City told to snap up Sunderland man amid flying form
There has been a massive turnaround in Blues’ performances lately, with three wins in their last four matches pushing them to within two points of the play-off places.
This run includes back-to-back 4-0 victories, which highlights just how well Birmingham are playing. At the centre of these displays has been Patrick Roberts, who joined the Second City side on loan from Sunderland in the summer.
His creative ability on the wing has seen him emerge as one of Blues’ most dangerous assets, providing an assist in their most recent triumph over Millwall.
When discussing the possibility of making his loan move permanent, Football League World’s Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, believes that there should be no hesitation from the club’s side to make it happen.
“When we got Patrick Roberts on loan, everyone knew he was going to be a cracking signing,” stated Jason. “He just offers championship quality.
“I would have taken him on a permanent basis in the window that has just gone. If I could get him on a permanent tomorrow, I would.
“He has been fantastic and he has proven why he’s such a good player. Against Millwall, he was superb. He can go on his left, go on his right.
“If we could get him on a permanent tomorrow, I’d be getting him. Don’t wait for his contract to expire in the summer, because he looks like he’s going to leave Sunderland.
“Get him tomorrow if you could.”
Patrick Roberts would be a smart buy for Birmingham City
In a summer which saw Birmingham bring in so many big names who have previously enjoyed regular top-flight football, a loan deal for Roberts went under the radar somewhat.
However, the 28-year-old has been one of their best performers, and it isn’t hard to see why.
Roberts has years of Championship experience with Sunderland and was part of a team that secured promotion from the division last year, which no doubt has added to the importance he plays in Blues’ dressing room.
Making his deal at St. Andrew’s permanent would be a smart move from Birmingham, as it allows them to lock down an important position in the team with proven quality.
Taking gambles on players from abroad may prove more appealing at times, but the guarantee of second-tier quality is exactly what Birmingham need to pack out their squad with.