Sports
Birmingham in talks to sign “wonderful” gem who’d be unplayable with Osman
Birmingham City recently confirmed the signing of winger Ibrahim Osman on loan from Premier League side Brighton until the end of the season.
The right-footed left winger will be hoping to get back to the kind of form he displayed with Nordsjælland in the 2023/24 campaign, when he provided seven goals and seven assists in all competitions, per Sofascore.
Osman, who has also been joined by August Priske in signing for the Blues this week, is a fast winger who wants to cut inside onto his right foot from the left flank, and it is down to Chris Davies to get him into positions where he will be most effective.
That could mean that more business is done between now and the end of the transfer window to ensure that Birmingham have the players they need to really attack the Championship play-offs in the next few months.
Birmingham make approach to sign young talent
The Blues are reportedly still making moves to add more quality to their squad in the next ten days or so, with a Premier League talent on their radar.
According to Football Insider, Birmingham City are one of a number of teams interested in a deal to sign Chelsea left-back Harry McGlinchey this month.
The report claims that the Blues, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Sheffield United have all made ‘approaches’ to land the teenage defender, which means that they are now in talks with the Premier League giants over a deal for his services.
It adds that the 18-year-old talent is free to move on from Stamford Bridge before the end of the January transfer window, and that the London-based side would want a sell-on clause attached to any potential transfer.
Birmingham are now tasked with convincing the Ireland U19 international that a move to St. Andrew’s is the best next step in his development, rather than a move to Sheffield United or Wolves, who are bottom of the Premier League.
Why McGlinchey would be perfect for Osman
As aforementioned, Osman’s style of play means that he needs space to cut inside onto his right foot from the left wing to cause maximum damage in the final third.
This means that having an attacking left-back who can draw attention away from defenders to create that space for the Brighton loanee could make him unplayable at the top end of the pitch.
Kai Wagner has already been signed from Philadelphia Union to be the first-choice option at left-back, and has hit the ground running with some impressive displays, scoring a goal and providing an assist in his first four outings in all competitions.
The German defender racked up ten assists in 38 matches in all competitions in the 2025 MLS season for his former club, per Sofascore, which suggests that he could be an excellent partner for Osman down the left.
McGlinchey, though, is another left-back who could be perfect for the 21-year-old winger because he is an attack-minded full-back who can cause headaches for defenders when he makes forward runs.
|
McGlinchey’s creative quality |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Team |
Games |
Assists |
|
Chelsea U18s |
26 |
5 |
|
Ireland U19s |
6 |
1 |
|
Chelsea U21s |
1 |
0 |
|
Ireland U17s |
8 |
0 |
As you can see in the table above, the 18-year-old talent has improved his end product since failing to provide any assists in eight caps for Ireland at U17 level, with six assists in 31 games for Chelsea’s U18s and Ireland’s U19s to date.
These statistics show that the left-footed ace, who was hailed for a “wonderful” assist by Como scout Felix Johnston last year, has the quality to provide an attacking threat down the left flank, albeit he has yet to prove himself at first-team level.
Birmingham can offer McGlinchey the opportunity to make his senior bow in football as a back-up to Wagner, coming off the bench or rotating with him as a starter.
If he can carry his form from youth level over to a first-team environment, the 18-year-old talent would be unplayable alongside Osman as opposition full-backs would be torn between stopping the winger from cutting inside or committing to marking the overlap.
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Therefore, McGlinchey could be an excellent addition to the squad if they can win the race for his services in the coming days, as it would provide Davies with two left-backs who could get the best out of Osman.
