Why Dennis Man could be a top-quality signing for Birmingham City
According to Telekom Sport (h/t Birmingham Live), Birmingham City have been linked with a move for Romanian international winger Dennis Man, who currently plies his trade with Steaua Bucharesti in his homeland.
The report adds that the Blues have had an offer of £8.5 million turned down by the Romanian heavyweights for Man, who still has several years left to run on his current contract until 2022.
Birmingham City manager Pep Clotet is understood to be in the market for a few fresh faces during the mid-season trading period in a bid to bolster his squad and help the Blues in their bid for survival in the Championship.
Man, who shot to prominence with UTA Arad before earning a move to FCSB back in the summer of 2016, has carved out a big reputation for himself as one of the brightest up and coming attacking talents in Romania, registering 27 goals and 18 assists in 117 appearances across all competitions.
Having represented his nation at U19 and U21 levels, Dennis Man was handed his senior international debut for Romania back in March last year and he has so far accumulated 4 caps at the highest level. The 21-year-old, though, still plays for Romania at the U21 level and featured in the 2019 UEFA European U-21 Championship in Italy and San Marino.
Meanwhile, Birmingham City were among the outsiders in the playoff race earlier in the campaign after a decent start to life under Pep Clotet but the Blues have failed quite spectacularly in recent months, winning only one out of their last 12 games in the Championship.
Consequently, City have slipped down to 18th in the standings, only six points clear of the relegation zone and Clotet will surely need to find a way to arrest the slide sooner rather than later to avoid any relegation worries.
A tally of 31 goals scored and 43 conceded lies testament to the fact that the Blues need to improve significantly at both ends of the pitch. As a matter of fact, the last time that Birmingham City managed a clean-sheet in the Championship was way back in October when they beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0 at home.
To that end, defensive reinforcements, including a proven shot-stopper, should be a top priority for Clotet during the mid-season window, while a partner for Lukas Jutkiewicz up top also remains an immediate necessity.
The acquisition of Jeremie Bela as a free-agent has certainly had a positive impact, with the Frenchman contributing with 2 goals and 2 assists already.
Verdict
To put things into perspective, Birmingham City can certainly do with some upgrades on their wide attacking options, and those who would have watched Dennis Man play would definitely know that the 21-year-old is one of the best young players in Romania.
Whether or not he would be able to make an immediate difference in the Championship during the second half of the season is another question, but Man is undoubtedly a top-quality prospect with loads of potential, and the Blues could potentially have a real gem on their hands if the Romanian goes on to fulfil his promise at St. Andrew’s.
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On top of that, the Romanian can play alongside a target man like Jutkiewicz and a significant outlay in the market could be well worth it, given that he has plenty of time to develop and acclimatize to the English game.
