Birmingham City: Why Alex McLeish is confident of signing the right players

Dec 5 2009 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

ALEX McLeish reckons Blues will remain a decent proposition for new players, regardless of their Premier League position going into the January transfer window.

“I think we will be able to attract players anyway,” said the Blues boss. “The top 10 wasn’t really a target for me, it was making sure we got our head above water and we’re doing that. We have got the bonus of being 11th just now.

“I am delighted where we are. If anyone is going to make the distinction of ‘oh, Birmingham are 11th, but if they’re 10th I’ll come’, I don’t think so.

“I believe we will still be an attraction.

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“We are not going to get the guys that Man United are perhaps targeting. Then again, we don’t want to jump too high in terms of wages and transfer fees anyway, in one fell swoop.”

McLeish added: “There’s no doubt our position at the moment is quite attractive. It’s better than if we were, say, 17th.

“But the game is so competitive in this set-up, this league. Teams are striving to get better players. That’s what makes it so tough.

“We talk about Wigan. They lost 9-1 at Spurs, then beat Sunderland so that shows that anybody can beat anybody in the league.

“You are only a couple of defeats away from a crisis. Wolves are only a couple of victories away from rocketing up that table.

“We have to look after our own situation and if that is deemed attractive to a certain player we are targeting, then fine.

“If not, then fine. I think there are plenty of players out there who can enhance our squad without having to go for Diego Maradona, for instance, a type like that.”

Wigan v Birmingham City: Follow live coverage with Colin Tattum and Andy Walker from 2.30pm