Birmingham City have little over a week to add to Chris Davies’ team before the transfer deadline.
Chris Davies confirms Ibrahim Osman will not be returning to Birmingham City before the transfer deadline.
The Ghanaian winger had a very great half-season on loan with Blues last season and impressed enough for the club to wish to bring him back for the current season.
However, Osman’s pre-season efforts with Brighton, combined with injuries to other players, have thrust the winger into Fabian Hurzeler’s consideration, and the 21-year-old has now appeared in both of the Seagulls’ opening games.
Davies agreed that any suggested deal appears to be off the table. “Unless a surprising occurrence occurs, I believe so.
“I think it’s very clear that we were pleased with the work he accomplished for us. I have a lot of time for the boy; I believe he made a significant influence, to be honest, and we were eager to find a way.
But fair play to the lad for going out and doing enough for a Premier League team that wants to keep you there, and everything says a lot.
“He’s just come on in the Premier League, played in the European competition so I don’t think he’s going to be going anywhere.”
Osman would have been an obvious starter for Blues this season, but with Demarai Grey returning from a pre-season injury, Davies has chosen Jay Stansfield on the left side and Paik Seung-ho in the centre.
The return of Marvin Ducksch from his own injury provides the Blues another option at No. 10, despite talk linking last season’s joint-top scorer with a move away from St Andrew’s.
Ducksch made his season debut off the bench in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Bristol City, and Daives is pleased to have him available.
Marvin, in the sense that he was injured in preseason, gets himself totally fit and available for the bench, so I decided to put him on the bench and give him some game action. He hasn’t done much full-body training, so he’s suffered a setback.
“For us and me. Marvin is here every day, contributing and working hard, and he’s one of our players, of course.
“I believe that in the next week, eight days, or whatever, there will be some activity in and out, and that everything will be clear in eight days.
“But certainly I felt that having him on the bench and having him coming off the bench for this match would have been a smart idea, to try and give us something late in what was probably going to be a tight game, I was pleased that we could get him on the pitch.”
Davies was keen to point out that this did not guaranty Ducksch’s departure before next Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
“In terms of the squad, we’ve got action going on, and no, not necessarily Marvin, but what I’m saying is that people are talking about the transfer window, and it’s difficult to be fully certain, knowing that there will be some change in the next week or so; that’s just how it is.
“From Marvin’s point of view, he has just regained his fitness and is ready to go again. The fact that he’s coming on in games and contributing to the squad says that he’s an important part of this.”
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