Why Birmingham City should avoid signing Lee Gregory on loan

According to Daily Mail (h/t Birmingham Live), Birmingham City have been linked with a move for Stoke City striker Lee Gregory, who has found goals hard to come by in the Championship this season. 

EFL Championship rivals Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough have also expressed an interest in acquiring the services of the 31-year-old, who is closing in on a loan move away from the Bet365 Stadium. (Daily Mail h/t Birmingham Live)

The Sheffield-born striker, who joined Stoke City on a free transfer from Millwall this past summer, has featured extensively for the relegation-threatened Potters under both Nathan Jones and Michael O’Neill, scoring 4 times in 24 league outings so far. 

Gregory has slipped down the pecking order in recent weeks though, with O’Neill handing more regular minutes to Sam Vokes and Tyrese Campbell. The veteran has featured from the bench in each of Stoke’s three league fixtures since the turn of the year.

Having come through the non-league arena as a prolific goalscorer for Halifax Town, Gregory made his mark in the Championship with Millwall and went on to score 30 times in 126 appearances for the Lions in the second-tier before departing to join Stoke City this past summer.

However, despite enjoying regular minutes at the Bet365 Stadium, the 31-year-old has struggled to make an impact for the relegation-threatened Potters in the Championship.

Meanwhile, Birmingham City settled for a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough on Tuesday night, as Lukas Jutkiewicz saw his first-half opener cancelled out by a late equalizer from Ashley Fletcher.

Having scored just 35 goals and conceded 42 in 29 games so far, City’s problems at both ends of the pitch have been well-documented throughout the campaign. The Blues’ pursuit of a new striker is much-needed since they lack a reliable back-up for Lukas Jutkiewicz. 

Jutkiewicz, who registered double figures in terms of goals and assists in the Championship last season, has once again led the attack with aplomb at St. Andrew’s, having already netted 10 times in 29 appearances. 

However, with Alvaro Gimenez struggling to get to grips with the English game and Clotet’s attempt to shoehorn Jacques Maghoma and Kerim Mrabti into a striking role not yielding the desired results, City still need quality cover in the centre-forward department.

Verdict

The current strike force at Birmingham City is not good enough and it’s hard to see how a struggling striker like Gregory could be an upgrade on what Clotet already has at his disposal.

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All in all, Birmingham City would be wise to drop their interest in Lee Gregory.