Birmingham City recently announced 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 return to the form he showed for Nordsjælland in 2023/24, when he scored seven goals and provided seven assists in all competitions, according to Sofascore.
Osman, who was joined by August Pliske in his signing with the Blues this week, is a fast winger who likes to cut inside with his right foot from the left flank, and it will be up to Chris Davies to put him in the most effective position.
This could mean further work will be done between now and the end of the transfer window to ensure Birmingham have the players they need to seriously challenge for the Championship play-offs in the coming months.
Birmingham approach signing young talent
The Blues are reportedly eyeing Premier League talent and are continuing to make moves to further improve the quality of their squad over the next 10 days or so.
According to Football Insider, Birmingham City are one of a number of teams interested in signing Chelsea left-back Harry McGlinchey this month.
According to reports, the Blues, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United have made ‘approaches’ for the teenage defender, with the Reds currently in talks with the Premier League giants to sign him.
He added that the talented 18-year-old is free to leave Stamford Bridge before the end of the January transfer window, with the London-based team hoping to include a sell clause in any potential move.
Birmingham are now tasked with convincing the Ireland Under-19 international that a move to St Andrews is the best next step for his development, rather than a move to Sheffield United or Wolves, who are bottom of the Premier League.
Why McGlinchey is perfect for Osman
As mentioned above, Osman’s style of play means he needs space to cut inside with his right foot from the left wing in order to do maximum damage in the final third.
This means he may not be able to play at the top end of the pitch, with an attacking left-back able to distract defenders to create space for the Brighton loanee.
Kai Wagner has already been signed by the Philadelphia Union as first-choice left back and has gotten off to a good start with some impressive performances, scoring and assisting in his first four games in all competitions.
According to Sofascore, the German defender has provided 10 assists in 38 games across all competitions in his former club’s 2025 MLS season, suggesting he could be an excellent partner for Osman on the left.
However, McGlinchey is another left-back who would be a perfect fit for the 21-year-old winger, as he is also an attack-minded full-back who can trouble defenders when moving forward.
McGlinchey’s creativity | ||
|---|---|---|
team | game | assist |
Chelsea U18 | 26 | 5 |
Ireland U19 | 6 | 1 |
Chelsea U21 | 1 | 0 |
Ireland U17 | 8 | 0 |
Statistics via Transfermarkt | ||
As you can see from the table above, the talented 18-year-old failed to register an assist in his eight caps for Ireland at Under-17 level, but has improved on his final output with six assists in 31 games for Chelsea Under-18s and Ireland Under-19s so far.
These statistics show that the left-footed ace, who was praised by Como scout Felix Johnston for his “amazing” assist last year, has the qualities to pose an attacking threat on the left, although he is yet to prove himself at first-team level.
Birmingham offers McGlinchey the opportunity to be a senior in football as Wagner’s backup, potentially coming off the bench or rotating in as a starter.
If he is able to transfer his form from youth level to a first-team environment, the 18-year-old talent will not be able to play alongside Osman, as opposing full-backs will be forced to either prevent wingers from cutting inside or focus on marking the overlap.
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He would be an upgrade to Kyogo…
Therefore, if they can win the competition for his services in the coming days, McGlinchey could be a great addition to the squad as it would provide Davies with two left-backs who can get the best out of Osman.
