Birmingham City showed off their class in the FA Cup over the weekend with a professional 1-0 away win at non-league Sutton United, to secure their progression to the second round of the competition.
It’s going swimmingly for the Blues in the third tier too, with just one loss in League One from 12 now as Northampton Town travel to St. Andrew’s up next to get football going again in the entertaining league.
Birmingham boss Chris Davies will know his side has some unbelievable attacking players, seen in Jay Stansfield and Alfie May to name a few, but will also be thankful for the stern defenders he has at his disposal that are equally helping these league wins look like a breeze.
Birmingham's staunch defence this season
In League One, only Exeter City and Wrexham have conceded less than the table-topping side, with the Blues leaking just 11 goals from 12 clashes to date.
Only two goals were actually conceded across the entirety of October in league action from Birmingham’s perspective, with the likes of Christoph Klarer imposing at the back for this promotion-chasing side, using his intimidating 6 foot 3 frame to bully attackers.
One of many statement signings this summer, arriving from Fortuna Dusseldorf for a new challenge in England, the towering Austrian has certainly helped Birmingham shore up defensively, with a staggering seven duels won on average per league game this season.
With the likes of Ben Davies, Krystian Bielik, Ethan Laird and more occupying the other defensive spots at St. Andrew’s, the Blues know that they shouldn’t be leaking goals for fun, giving a platform to the attacking players to go more gung-ho.
Not every defender to have joined in recent years has gone on to be an immediate success, however, with one loan signing disappointing the Birmingham masses before then fully realising his potential down the line away from the Midlands.
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Teden Mengi's time at Birmingham
Teden Mengi joined the Birmingham camp back in 2022 mid-way through the Championship season in a loan switch that wouldn’t go to plan for the highly rated Manchester United youngster.
Mengi would only manage to make ten appearances for the Blues across an injury-disrupted loan stint, with one meagre clean sheet coming his way in league action from nine games, leading to the 6-foot defender returning to Old Trafford frustrated by his stop-start time in the West Midlands.
Games played
10
Games started
9
Goals
1
Assists
0
Touches*
54.2
Accurate passes*
32.8 (76%)
Ball recoveries*
3.7
Total duels won*
4.0
Now, however, the ex-Red Devils centre-back is starring in the Championship for Luton Town, who he also managed to score two goals for last season as the Hatters succumbed to their relegation fate back down to the second tier. A “dominant” defender – as he was labelled by scout Jacek Kulig – away from that relegation he’s enjoyed a great time of it after leaving Birmingham.
In Championship action this term, he has already surpassed the number of appearances he made for Birmingham in the league at ten, with his value now way above what it used to be when he was trying to cut his teeth at the Blues.
Whilst on the books of Birmingham on a temporary loan basis, Mengi was worth just £1.6m according to Transfermarkt.
Now, with 45 games under his belt for the Hatters as a valued part of Rob Edwards’ first team, his value has shot up all the way to £9.2m. That means his value has risen 475% as Luton attempt to get more out of their main man at the back over the season to come.
Of course, injuries ultimately got the better of Mengi during his time with the Blues, but there must be some regret that he never blossomed into a top star at St. Andrew’s, considering his quick rise at Kenilworth Road.
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5 ByKelan SarsonOct 31, 2024