Colin Tattum runs the rule over Alex McLeish's summer transfer window signings for Birmingham City

Sep 4 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

ENRIC VALLES: Tall, dark and handsome, ‘Ricky’ as he is known, went down well with the ladies. But can he play? He showed up well in pre-season, wide on the left of midfield, and deputising at left-back.

The Spaniard, 20, was Blues first capture of the transfer window, on a free from NAC Breda.

Technically proficient and intelligent, he packs a shot – with either foot – although he may lack the explosiveness of many wide players.

BEN FOSTER: How to replace Joe Hart was always going to be a massive task for Blues – and they could hardly have done much better.

At £6 million, they bagged an international-class goalkeeper who was hungry and wanted to revive his career after it stagnated at Manchester United.

Many observers within the game will tell you that they rate Foster as the best of all the UK goalkeepers.

And he has already made his mark at St Andrew’s, capping a fine home debut by saving Morten Gamst Pedersen’s penalty against Blackburn Rovers.

If he remains free of injury, Foster should go from strength to strength.

NIKOLA ZIGIC: It’s no secret that Alex McLeish remained on the trail of Roman Pavlyuchenko but was unable to prise him from Spurs this the summer, so he turned to the Valencia giant.

At 6ft 8in, Zigic is not as spindly as Peter Crouch, he’s more sturdy like a Niall Quinn. He has shown himself to be excellent on the deck, with a fine touch and clever vision. But the £6 million man has been taken aback by the physicality of the Premier League.

He could take some time to adapt, but he’s intelligent and determined enough to do so and fit in.

The other players have warmed to his manner.

MATT DERBYSHIRE: Kind of went under the radar out in Greece with Olympiakos, but when Blues got in a hole after Fabrizio Miccoli and Moussa Dembele fell by the wayside, he represented a very useful pick-up, on loan.

Another who is hungry to come again in the Premier League and has the right mix of humility and winner’s mentality to fit straight into the current dressing room environment, Derbyshire provides Blues with an alternative kind of striker who is not only sharp in the box and can make sudden impacts as a substitute, but his running angles are shrewd and mobility good.