Birmingham City flexed their full squad last time out in the Championship as a last-gasp win was secured against Swansea City.
With the game heading into its final stages, Chris Davies would bring on his new tricky loanee in Patrick Roberts, with the Championship-experienced attacker showing off his obvious quality when setting up Lyndon Dykes for the match-winning goal.
More well-known for his celebrated stint at Sunderland, Roberts wouldn’t look out of place in his new Birmingham strip, either, with the inch-perfect cross delivered to the robust Scotsman making it a dream St. Andrew’s debut for the 28-year-old.
Away from just Roberts, Davies’ men have won time after time again in recent years in the loan market, with the odd flop here and there also sneaking in.
Birmingham's best and worst recent loanees
Amazingly, despite now being an important cog in the Blues machine, Jay Stansfield was once just a loanee attempting to cut his teeth at St. Andrew’s.
He certainly proved himself away from parent side Fulham during the 2023/24 season with Stansfield, before Davies was situated in the dug-out after relegation, firing home 12 strikes even as his loan employers fell to League One.
Pushing on to then sign for Birmingham permanently as they returned to the Championship in style, it’s self-evident really that Stansfield is a loan success, with the popular attacker now up to 39 goals and counting in the West Midlands.
Moving into the defence last campaign, Ben Davies was also a short-term success story at St. Andrew’s, with the ex-Liverpool centre-back leaving Rangers behind for one season to collect 20 clean sheets on the way to the Blues comfortably lifting the League One title.
Even Tahith Chong will still be remembered fondly for his loan exploits during the 2020/21 season in the second tier, as the then Manchester United wonderkid bagged one goal and collected three assists, before pulling a Stansfield-esque move and remaining put.
However, not every loanee is welcomed into the camp permanently with open arms, with others struggling to settle and impress during fleeting stays instead.
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Yet, failing with the Blues didn’t end up swallowing this flop whole, who is now excelling in Germany, away from a disastrous stint at Birmingham during Wayne Rooney’s doomed reign as manager.
The "dreadful" Birmingham flop who is now excelling
Unfortunately, sometimes the environment at hand works against you.
Rooney’s abysmal spell in the St. Andrew’s dug-out would have negatively impacted a lot of the Birmingham camp, with notorious journeyman Oliver Burke falling victim to a shocking run in front of goal under the 39-year-old’s guidance.
Wayne Rooney
14
0
John Eustace
6
0
Tony Mowbray
2
0
Rooney would only pick up a meagre two wins in the Blues dug-out from 15 overall contests, and while that record is very bleak to look at, Burke arguably takes the biscuit here with zero goals fired home from the 14 games he played under Rooney’s management.
On top of that, the “dreadful” 28-year-old – as he was previously labelled by one Football League World pundit – never managed to break his duck under Josh Eustace’s more positive reign nor Tony Mowbray’s short-lived tenure.
As a result, Birmingham were no doubt glad to see the back of the Scottish forward when his loan deal expired.
Burke was also likely glad to be freed of the shackles of Birmingham, with the one-time Nottingham Forest youth product showing off his blistering ability to fire home chances, finally, at his current side, Union Berlin, when scoring this stunning hat-trick in the Bundesliga.
Coming in a lofty 6-foot-2 frame and scoring goals for fun has even seen FBref note Burke as being statistically similar to ex-Stuttgart goal machine Nick Woltemade, who has just moved to English shores himself in a bumper £65m switch to Newcastle United.
Hailed as possessing the ability to “decide games in tight moments” by Union director of football Horst Heldt, Burke will hope he can pick up even more goals in the German top-flight shortly, with his 11 goals at the level already meaning he’s only three short of Woltemade’s same tally in the tough division.
Birmingham must wish they could turn back time now to try and get the best out of Burke, with more wins hopefully soon to be secured in the Championship without the 28-year-old around.