Birmingham City can sign one more player as Chris Davies’ decision hints at stars’ injury timeline

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Birmingham City have confirmed their squad for the 2025/26 season and the list contains three glaring absentees.

Birmingham signed 14 players over the summer and, after letting stars from their League One promotion side including Alfie May leave for Huddersfield Town, have now provided a 24-man list.

Blues fans have pointed out a few potential gaps in the squad, but overall Chris Davies has a strong selection heading into the Championship’s gruelling schedule, and EFL Analysis understands Birmingham can ‘easily spend £20m’ in January if they wanted to.

This week’s published list has two players missing, though, hinting at just how long they could be sidelined for. Meanwhile, the Blues have another spot open.

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Lee Buchanan and Scott Wright left out of Birmingham City squad

Lee Buchanan and Scott Wright are both sidelined with knee injuries, and their omission from the squad list shows they aren’t expected to return before the new year.

Championship clubs are allowed 25-man squads that must include at least eight homegrown players.

That means the Blues can bring in a free agent before the next transfer window opens, and they have previously been linked with free agent Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

It remains to be seen if they will dip into the free agent market and make the most of the available spot. They will get a chance to test out the ability of their current crop when they face Stoke City this weekend.

Jay Stansfield remains a doubt for Stoke City clash

Birmingham’s top scorer Jay Stansfield picked up an ankle injury at the end of the Carabao Cup second round defeat to Port Vale.

The 22-year-old’s availability for the Stoke trip appears to be up in the air.

“It’s not a long-term thing, that’s what I will say,” Davies said. “It’s one of those things that we’ll see week by week without putting too much pressure on a date to get back. He’ll try his best, as always, but it’s just unfortunate.”

Should Stansfield be absent, Lyndon Dykes, Kyogo Furuhashi and Marvin Ducksch will have the chance to start.