With the big-money moves near the top of the table grabbing all the headlines in this seasonโs January transfer window, Birmingham City quietly added to their strike force with the on-loan acquisition of Obafemi Martins from reigning Russian Premier League champions Rubin Kazan. The deal includes an option to buy for ยฃ5m at the end of the season should the club avoid relegation and Blues boss Alex McLeish is delighted to bring a player with proven Premier League quality back to these shores:
“Heโs an explosive type of player and is similar to Chucho (Benitez) but with much more experience. He has great pace, is two-footed, very good in the air for his size and Iโm sure heโs a signing that will excite the fans.”
Itโs understood that Birmingham managed to fight off competition from clubs including Hamburg and Midlands neighbours West Brom for the Nigerianโs signature and the move marks the clubโs third capture of the transfer window, with David Bentley arriving on loan from Spurs and Curtis Davies on a permanent transfer from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.
The Statistics
The 26 year-old brings a wealth of European experience to his new club; having started his career in the Inter Milan youth set-up, Martins went on to make 85 appearances for the club, netting 28 times. A ยฃ10m move to Newcastle followed, as replacement for the retired Alan Shearer. Martins continued a similar scoring ratio at St Jamesโ Park, netting 28 times in 88 games, though he moved away from Tyneside after the clubโs relegation to the Championship.
He lasted just one season at next club Wolfsburg, scoring 6 goals in 16 league games, but having failed to settle, moved on to Rubin Kazan, where he played 12 times, returning 2 goals.
Martins has plenty Champions League experience, too; overall, he has played 33 times and scored 9 goals. He has also managed 34 appearances for his country, scoring an impressive 18 goals.
The Prospects
Plain and simple, Birmingham need someone with the ability to put the ball in the back of the net. With 5 goals, midfielder Craig Gardner is their top scorer so far and strike duo Cameron Jerome and Nikola Zigic have mustered just 3 goals apiece, a poor return thatโs been matched by left-back Liam Ridgewell.
Birmingham sit just 3 points off the foot of the table and Martins has been brought to address this issue with immediate effect. As mentioned above, his eye for goal hasnโt wavered, regardless of the change of scenery.
It looks likely that McLeish will field a 4-4-2 formation, with Zigic and Jerome battling it out to partner Martins up front, with Bentley -already hinting at the form that served him so well at Blackburn- supplying them from out wide right. Martins certainly appears delighted with his return to Englandโs top division, saying:
“Coming back to England, itโs a really good thing, Iโm very, very excited. The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the whole world and Iโve played in it for three years โ and the 150 million people in Nigeria wanted me back in it too. Birmingham are a good team and can still do well this season and I hope my joining will help.”
With the playerโs visa problems finally over, thereโs a chance he could play in this upcoming weekendโs away trip to West Ham. A look at Birminghamโs upcoming fixtures show their home games, in particular, are winnable. The club have double game week 27 (STK, NEW) and double game week 29 (WBA, eve) with a blank game week 28 in between, due to their appearance in the Carling Cup Final.
As Birmingham prepare to square up to what may prove to be a relegation fight, Big Eck will be looking for the sort of form that saw Martins pick up 11 goals, 6 assists and 16 FPL Bonus Points in his first season on these shores. If the new boy can replicate that sort of level of performance, Birmingham may well have found the answer to their striking problems.
