JUST IN: Birmingham City Coach Gave Reasons for Spending Big For Club’s Signings

There is a reason that the two sides who automatically gained promotion, Derby County and Portsmouth, from League One last season, as well as Sheffield Wednesday, are reportedly interested in signing Karamoko Dembele.

The 21-year-old former England and Scotland youth international, who became a professional at 15 after playing for Celtic’s U20 side at the age of just 13, played 39 times for Blackpool in the third-tier last season from an attacking midfield position, occasionally out-wide on the right, and notched eight times in what was effectively his first full season as an out-and-out starter anywhere.

By the end of the season, he had established himself as one of the very brightest attacking talents in the league and, at 21, there is plenty of potential and room for him to grow even more – especially at a club crying out for someone to provide a creative spark.

John McAtee managed 15 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions, including 12 in League One, for Barnsley last season and has been talked about as a promising player for quite some time now – earning a move to then Championship side Luton Town from League Two Grimsby Town in January 2022.

A forward that has the ability to play in a 3-5-2 or potentially even as a winger or more of a creator in a 4-2-3-1 is someone Wanderers are crying out for to support Aaron Collins, and McAtee would provide that as well as a genuine threat in front of goal.

How this changes things for Bolton

As Ian Evatt has already discussed this summer, Bolton will intend to be more tactically flexible throughout this campaign and that could result in the occasional switch in system from the 3-5-2, used exclusively throughout the 2023/24 campaign, to a back four or any formation with wingers in it.

Dembele, as mentioned, was predominantly deployed as a number ten for Blackpool last season, but he has come through his development as a winger, too. This would allow the Whites to play in a 4-2-3-1 or a 3-4-3, or even a 3-4-1-2.

The flexibility of Dembele is not quite matched by McAtee, but there is certainly an argument to suggest he could develop into a natural number ten, such is his physique and technical ability. In that instance, a 4-2-3-1 would also be a possibility and the potential signing of Armstrong also suggests that to be the case.

Wanderers currently have few, if any, actual out-and-out wingers in their squad, but the likes of Randell Williams, Aaron Collins, Carlos Mendes Gomes and even Dan Nlundulu and Victor Adeboyejo have played out-wide during their careers.

What these rumours indicate would be a potential shift to a system with more width higher up the pitch, rather than relying on wing-backs to do the jobs of out-and-out attackers.

Whatever happens, it would be clear that sticking with the 3-5-2 probably means just two spots available for Dion Charles, Victor Adeboyejo, Klaidi Lolos, Dan Nlundulu, Carlos Mendes Gomes, Aaron Collins, and then the possible arrivals of Karamoko Dembele and John McAtee.

Frankly, that’s an embarrassment of riches at Evatt’s disposal. Already people are talking up Birmingham as League One favourites as they flex their financial clout after Championship relegation. Yet the Trotters are under the radar with a depth of talent already that could be significantly improved by Dembele and McAtee.

The arrival of that pair, in the eyes of some, should make the Trotters more fancied than the talked about Blues for promotion to the Championship.