“Stock is low right now” – Birmingham City eyeing AFC Bournemouth swoop: The verdict
FLW writers have shared their thoughts on Birmingham City’s interest in AFC Bournemouth midfielder.
This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more..
Birmingham City are interested in signing AFC Bournemouth midfielder Gavin Kilkenny.
That is according to Football Insider, who reports that the Blues do face competition from League One side Reading FC, who are also keen.
It also adds that Birmingham, along with the Royals, are keen on adding to their midfield before the window slams shut on the 1st of September.
Kilkenny spent the first half of last season on loan at Stoke City, but it was cut short in January as he only featured on a handful of occasions. He then joined Charlton Athletic for the second half and, again, didn’t really feature much for the Addicks.
But that hasn’t stopped Birmingham from identifying the Bournemouth midfielder as a possible option to strengthen their midfield.
Would Gavin Kilkenny be a good signing for Birmingham City?
While we see how this story develops, writers at Football League World have shared their thoughts on this news and stated whether they think he is needed at Birmingham.
Here is what they said…
Brett Worthington
It is a slight surprise that Birmingham are looking to strengthen their midfield, given that they do have some good options there already.
However, John Eustace will probably be keen to have another backup should anything happen to his most reliable players.
So what Eustace wants, whether it’s a player that can come into the team and be a main starter or someone as a backup, changes how you judge this transfer.
If Kilkenny’s arrival is to have a player who bolsters their options and is a squad player, then he is a good option to have. He has Championship experience and has earned promotion out of this league before.
But if Kilkenny is being signed to push into the starting XI, then Birmingham may be wiser in looking at other options. As the Irish midfielder showed last season, he struggled to get into Stoke’s midfield and found it tough at Championship level.
However, he is still very young, and maybe at a club like Birmingham, where he will be given chances, he could still improve and become a very useful player to have in a squad.
Ned Holmes
Given Krystian Bielik’s injury problems in the past and the intensity of the Championship season, making a move for Gavin Kilkenny could make a lot of sense from Birmingham City’s perspective.
They have some good options there but were Bielik to get injured or Ivan Sunjic, who is in the final year of his contract to depart, Kilkenny would prove a useful player to have.
John Eustace has already proven himself an impressive young coach and it seems he feels he can help the 23-year-old get back to his best.
That would allow Blues to take advantage of the fact that Kilkenny’s stock is low right now by bringing the midfielder in fairly cheaply and building him back up.
He might not be ready to start regularly in the Championship but as a rotation option in holding midfield, the Bournemouth player represents a useful option.
You’d imagine that the Cherries would be willing to do a deal given the signings they’ve made this summer and Birmingham are looking to capitalise.
