Pundit fears £3.5m Birmingham man is not League One quality and shares Patrick Roberts concern

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If this is what Birmingham City look like without Jay Stansfield – Chris Davies’ side went down 2-0 at Leicester City on Friday – well, Football League expert Ali Maxwell has his concerns, despite the deadline day arrival of Patrick Roberts.

Birmingham City made the trip to the East Midlands without their talismanic top scorer last time out.

And while Chris Davies preferred to focus on Abdul Fatawu’s brilliance – the Leicester sensation opened the scoring with what is becoming a trademark curling finish from the right-hand side – Birmingham and in particular Kyogo Furuhashi looked ‘lost’ on a night in which they barely laid a glove on a potential promotion rival.

Maxwell has reservations about whether Lewis Koumas, on loan from Liverpool, has the game-changing potential required against top Championship opposition.

The 19-year-old scored only three times in 26 starts at Stoke City last term.

He also doubts whether Willum Thor Willumsson, a £3.5 million acquisition from Go Ahead Eagles, can be considered elite League One quality, let alone in the division above.

So when it was put to the Not the Top 20 host that Birmingham had signed Sunderland schemer Patrick Roberts, right when Maxwell was in the midst of his post-Leicester autopsy, the question is whether Davies now has enough firepower to compete, even when shorn of Stansfield, with the deadline day arrival pulling the strings.

Ali Maxwell reacts after Birmingham City sign Sunderland loanee Patrick Roberts

Patrick Roberts jumped at the chance to swap Wearside for St Andrews in the final few hours of the transfer window.

But, though his introduction in last season’s play-off final was instrumental in turning the tide in Sunderland’s favour, is a winger with two goals from 48 games really the solution Birmingham required?

“What I will say is that, with Stansfield injured, you had Furuhashi playing at the top of the pitch on his own,” Maxwell said after discovering that the former Celtic talisman was averaging one completed pass a game in the Championship this term.

“Koumas started, Willumsson started, and Gray [at Leicester].

“Now, Gray has been excellent so far. Koumas had a loan at Stoke where his availability was very good. He showed versatility and energy but not a huge amount of match-winning quality.

“And Willumsson is someone I am yet to be convinced by even at League One level! It kind of stands out when Willumsson very rarely has much of an impact. Off the bench, Keshi Anderson, Marvin Ducksch, Lyndon Dykes, it doesn’t look that scary individually.

“[Roberts is a] good player,” Maxwell adds, the winger’s balletic ball-carrying often undermined by an absence of end-product.

“He’s got that slightly strange thing where it’s like he made a deal with the football devil when he was young to be an absolutely sensational dribbler, and really good in terms of how he combines with teammates. A really smart player.

“But he cannot hit a barn door! I can barely picture Pat Roberts scoring a goal!”

Roberts explains why he left the Premier League for Birmingham chance

Despite a respectable start in terms of results, only four teams have scored fewer goals this season than Birmingham. Preston North End, Charlton Athletic, and bottom-of-the-table crisis twins Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United.

Another summer signing Marvin Ducksch could prove to be the gamechanger Birmingham need, though, once he is up to full speed.

Ex-Werder Bremen star Ducksch topped the Bundesliga charts for shot-creating actions since the beginning of 2022/23, mustering more than even Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz.

Roberts, meanwhile, is looking forward to making an impact of his own.

“I’m a winner,” last season’s play-off champion tells the official Birmingham website. “And this is a place and a club that wants to strive to get to the top.

“Off the back of last season, where I [won promotion with Sunderland], I can see there’s potential here to have a good season. It didn’t take much convincing. It’s a big club, and getting back to where Birmingham should be is an aim.

“To join now is exciting, there’s a lot of momentum, and it’s a huge club.”