Why Matej Vydra to Birmingham City could be a blockbuster deal
According to Lancashire Live, Birmingham City are among a host of clubs chasing out-of-favour Burnley forward Matej Vydra, who is keen to depart Turf Moor before the January deadline in search of regular football elsewhere.
The 27-year-old, who joined the Clarets in an £11million deal from Derby County back in the summer of 2018, has struggled to make an impression under Sean Dyche.
The Czech Republic international has only made 8 appearances across all competitions so far this season, with his only start coming in a Carabao Cup defeat against Sunderland way back in August.
Previously a Golden Boot winner with Derby County in the Championship, Vydra came in with a huge reputation of scoring goals, but his move to Turf Moor has turned into a big disappointment. The former Watford star has only netted twice in 25 appearances for the Clarets in all competitions so far.
The 27-year-old has proven himself to be a glaring misfit for Dyche’s old-school long-ball philosophy that has favoured more physically-dominating centre-forwards like Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes.
With Jay Rodriguez also above Vydra in the pecking order, the Czech star’s situation at Turf Moor looks highly unlikely to change, and perhaps a January exit could be a fair settlement for both parties involved.
As per the report, Vydra has spoken to Dyche about his lack of playtime and has clearly expressed his desire to seek greener pastures in a bid to cement his place in Czech Republic’s Euro 2020 squad.
Meanwhile, Birmingham City are yet to set the ball rolling in the winter market after a summer of heavy recruitment, but the Blues will need to step up their pursuit of the potential targets sooner rather than later, with the January window nearing its climax.
Currently placed 18th in the standings, the Blues are eight points clear of the relegation zone and while that is likely to bring some solace to the fans at St. Andrew’s after a lacklustre first half of the campaign, Pep Clotet undoubtedly has some major issues to sort out if an unlikely surge for the playoffs is to materialize.
Having scored just 33 goals and conceded 44 in 27 games so far, Birmingham City’s problems at both ends of the pitch have been well-documented this term, and it is a no-brainer that the current situation calls for some fresh recruitment.
Lukas Jutkiewicz, who registered double figures in terms of both goals and assists in the Championship last season, has once again led the attack admirably, having already netted 9 times in the league for the Blues so far.
However, the target-man has lacked a reliable partner to complement him up top and play off his shoulders, with Kerim Mrabti struggling to slot into such a role.
The acquisition of Jeremie Bela on a free transfer has certainly added more firepower to the attack, but with Alvaro Gimenez yet to fully get to grips with the English game, it is a no-brainer that the Blues need to bring in an immediate game-changer in front of goal to improve on their mediocre scoring record.
Verdict
To that end, Birmingham City can hardly find anyone better than Matej Vydra, who boasts of an impressive tally of 65 goals and 22 assists in 187 appearances for Watford, Derby and Reading in the English second-tier.
The Czech Republic international might have struggled to cut the teeth in the Premier League but he remains a bonafide goalscorer at the Championship level, having also bagged the Golden Boot at Derby County prior to his move to Turf Moor.
Despite showing obvious signs of promise, Gimenez has only netted thrice in 24 league outings for the Blues so far and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Vydra could be a massive upgrade on the Spaniard, given his status as a striker with proven pedigree in the Championship.
Furthermore, the 27-year-old’s versatility to play up top, out wide and in a No.10 role as a supporting striker should do a world of good to Clotet’s squad dynamics.
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Having said that, Birmingham City should leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of Matej Vydra as he could well be the difference between another season of mid-table obscurity in the Championship and playoff glory.
