Birmingham City would surely jot down this summer transfer window as a resounding success.
Chris Davies’ Blues have continued to flex their muscles after emphatically securing promotion out of League One, as seen in 11 brand new signings joining the building so far, with £10m solely splashed out on the potent services of ex-Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi.
Splashing this excessive amount on Kyogo to join hasn’t stopped them from adding in more lethal attackers, however, as Marvin Ducksch now attempts to make a name for himself in England, after becoming well-known as a goalscoring menace with Werder Bremen.
Ducksch's reputation at Bremen
With Jay Stansfield also at their disposal, Birmingham have quite the attacking arsenal as they prepare to be in and around the promotion spots in the Championship come next May.
This unbelievable attacking firepower was on full show last time out in the second-tier, as both the aforementioned Stansfield – and reserve figure Lyndon Dykes – scored late on to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory on the road at Blackburn Rovers.
Ducksch is quite the steal too – even if he was nowhere to be found at Ewood Park – when you weigh up his blistering exploits in the Bundesliga and beyond, with a ridiculous 220 goals coming his way from 459 appearances up and down the various German leagues.
With 110 assists also next to his name, it’s clear that the Dortmund-born star will be a team player for the cause, with Davies hopeful his new number 33 will soon be fit and firing, despite a delayed start to injury.
Of course, there will be a worry in the air about whether their new £1.7m recruit will be able to show off this same clinical edge in the hustle and bustle of the Championship, with Ducksch only ever plying his trade in his native Germany, before this daring next step.
To lessen that worry, perhaps, Davies and Co. could still be prepared to explore a move for this EFL-ready marksman before deadline day comes around.
Why Che Adams would be an upgrade in Ducksch
Birmingham fans are always kept on their toes when it comes to who their side is looking to bring in.
Ducksch signing for the club was only ever made public knowledge after the Blues lost out on the coveted signature of Chuba Akpom, meaning there must surely be other transfer targets tucked up the second-tier side’s sleeve.
Che Adams might well be one name they have at their back of their head, still, with Football League World revealing earlier this week that Birmingham still held an interest in their former attacker, right up until Ducksch putting pen to paper on a move.
He likely wouldn’t come cheap, considering his £13m market valuation, as per Football Transfers, but if Davies wants a last-minute roll of the dice that enables him to win a Championship-calibre attacker, going back in for the ex-Southampton forward could be an ingenious late move.
Games
36
32
Goals
9
8
xG
8.92
10.11
Goal frequency
295min
304min
Goals per game
0.3
0.3
Big chances missed
13
11
Goal conversion
14%
11%
After all, if Adams is capable of picking up from where he last left off in the second tier with Birmingham, he would surely be more of an immediate rip-roaring success than Ducksch, with a deadly 22 league strikes registered across his final Blues season.
Even last term, as indicated in the table above, he shone in his debut campaign for Torino, having outscored his German counterpart concerning league goals, while totalling 14 goals and assists in all competitions.
The Scotland international also dazzled during his last campaign at Championship level, too, with the “terrific” – as he was once labelled by Scottish legend Ally McCoist – forward’s electric 15 strikes helping the South Coast side clinch promotion.
With the upward trajectory Birmingham look to be on, Adams might well feel he can secure another promotion if he returns to St. Andrew’s imminently, as his goalscoring magic potentially rips up the Championship once more.
Ducksch will also likely chip in with the goals to try and make back-to-back promotions an unbelievable reality, but he could be unfortunately moved to the background if the ex-Blues youngster does return home to be Davies’ leading man up top.
Further lauded as being “amazing” by former Saints boss Russell Martin to work with, landing the services of Adams would really show the rest of the division how serious Birmingham believes they can jump up to the Premier League.
It does feel like a tall order to pull off so deep into the window, but never rule out the audacious from happening at St. Andrew’s.