Forget Jay Stansfield, Birmingham City played a blinder with Bristol City agreement | OneFootball

Taylor Gardner-Hickman has been a key asset for Chris Davies' side

There has been plenty of discourse surrounding Birmingham City's spending power in League One this term, with no player influencing such talk more than Jay Stansfield.

Unsurprisingly, the striker, who was signed for a club and League One-record transfer fee from Fulham in August, has already hit the 20-goal mark despite suffering an injury in the recent EFL Trophy semi-final victory over Bradford City.

Blues have since accumulated four points from their following league outings against play-off hopefuls Reading and Leyton Orient, putting in a controlled performance against Richie Wellens' side to come away with a 2-0 victory.

And it's fair to say that the reaction from supporters when Taylor Gardner-Hickman netted his first in Royal Blue with the simplest of finishes after 55 minutes highlights how much of a fans' favourite the versatile midfielder has already become, as well as being such a pivotal asset for Chris Davies.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman's versatility has been key in Birmingham City's success

Despite being in a position which many on the outside expected the club to be in at this stage of the season, credit has to go to the recruitment team at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, Davies, and the players for moulding into such an efficient side in just under nine months, with the former West Bromwich Albion man playing a crucial part in that.

After joining on an initial loan basis from Bristol City on August 23rd, Gardner-Hickman was thrown straight into the action with a 24-minute substitute cameo against Orient at Brisbane Road before starting the next seven outings consecutively.

Despite his natural position being in the centre of the park, the 23-year-old was able to fill in seamlessly at right-back and once in right midfield in September whilst Ethan Laird was sidelined with an ankle problem.

The Telford-born man has started 24 of his 32 appearances across all competitions, which included a recent seven-game streak in the starting lineup, taking up the right-back, right-wing, left-wing and central midfield positions, whilst key performers such as Seung-Ho Paik, Tomoki Iwata and Keshi Anderson were sidelined.

Unsurprisingly, a willingness to play wherever possible and excelling in each and every one has made him an increasingly popular figure within the squad and with Bluenoses, as Davies paid tribute to such efforts after his first goal.

“He can play absolutely everywhere”, the Blues boss told official club channels.

“You can see the fans and everybody what we think of him here because of what he has given the team this season."

Birmingham City pulled off a transfer masterstroke with Bristol City agreement

There are a whole host of players across the board who could be nominated as 'signing of the season' in this part of the Second City, but even if he wasn't to win such a compliment, Gardner-Hickman's performance levels have contributed to a stroke of genius in the transfer market by the likes of Craig Gardner.

Having played 40 times for the Robins after moving from West Brom, the utility player has settled perfectly back in familiar territory, and it was no surprise to see Birmingham trigger the option to maintain his services beyond the summer for a reported £1.5m fee.

It's no surprise that a seven-figure sum was agreed, with Gardner-Hickman's prior contract at Ashton Gate running until 2027, but given his exploits in B9, such an agreement could be one of the best that Birmingham have pulled off under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management.