The Imps are reportedly keen on a permanent move for highly-rated Birmingham City midfielder Brandon Khela.
The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Bradford City, helping them earn promotion from League Two.
City Eyeing Young Midfield Talent
The Coventry-born playmaker is attracting attention following his solid loan spell at Bradford, and we’re one of two League One sides—alongside Blackpool—credited with serious interest in bringing him in permanently.
Khela, who came through the ranks at Birmingham and signed a deal running to 2027, featured sporadically in the first half of last season before heading to Valley Parade in January. He had to wait for his chance under Graham Alexander, but once he broke into the side, he stayed there, starting 11 of Bradford’s final 14 league matches. He chipped in with a couple of assists as they pushed over the line into League One.
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Despite his promise, first-team opportunities at St Andrew’s look limited. Birmingham are preparing for their return to the Championship with a bolstered midfield featuring the likes of Tomoki Iwata and Paik Seung-ho. That might just open the door for someone like Khela to move on in search of regular football.
From our point of view, the need isn’t so obvious. Despite Sam Clucas and Ali Smith being released at the end of the season, we still have an abundance of talent – Conor McGrandles, Ethan Hamilton and Ethan Erhahon being the obvious choices but Tom Bayliss, Dom Jeffries and JJ McKiernan are also possibilities for a central role. However, one wonders if Khela is someone we have identified as a long-term successor to Ethan Erhahon? He’s believed to be comfortable in tight spaces, shows good vision, and could add a different dynamic to our midfield group.
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That said, he won’t come cheap. Despite limited appearances for Birmingham (just eight in all competitions), his long-term contract gives the Blues a strong negotiating position. Any move for Khela would likely require a decent outlay unless a structured deal could be agreed. Of course, it’s likely to be significant for us, but not so much for the Blues, who are one of the wealthier sides in the Championship. They may see a structured deal as attractive, backing us to develop and sell for profit, while they retain an interest.
Blackpool Interest
Blackpool are also circling, and they’ve been proactive already this summer. Steve Bruce has shored up his defence with the additions of Fraser Horsfall and Michael Ihiekwe and may now turn attention to midfield reinforcements. We should be aware that those players, commanding more than £15,000 per week between them, are big signings, with long contracts as well (seven years in total). If Blackpool want to simply outbid us, they will.
But there’s no doubt we could offer something appealing to Khela—competitive football in a progressive, possession-based team under a manager who values technical midfielders.
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Is It Likely?
I can see this being a relatively solid rumour. There are only two clubs linked, so it avoids my rule of three criticism, and it does feel like the sort of signing we might make. He’s obviously surplus to requirements at St Andrew’s, and one could only imagine either another loan for him or a structured departure where they retain a future interest.
I do think we’re more likely to be signing players like Khela, ones you might not be overly familiar with, than some of the other players, either linked or suggested by so-called experts like us.
Blues fan here. Have you seen his goal against Charlton in the 1st round of the league cup? Voted best goal of the round