Has Lyndon Dykes' move from QPR to Birmingham City gone to plan so far? | OneFootball

How is former QPR striker Lyndon Dykes getting on at Birmingham City after his summer switch?

Birmingham City were no strangers to splashing the cash this summer.

Several top players headed through the door at the Midlands club, one whom was former Queens Park Rangers striker Lyndon Dykes.

The Scotland international arrived at St Andrew's this summer, signing from QPR for a reported £1 million. The attacker made well over 150 appearances for the Rs, scoring 37 times. This has seen him become a firm fixture in the Scottish national team in recent years.

After scoring for the Loftus Road outfit on his only appearance for the club this season, he earned Marti Cifuentes' side a point on their travels.

The ever-present striker was poached away from his long-term home, making the switch to League One Birmingham, in the hope of helping fire the Blues back into the Championship at the first time of asking.

Dykes faces stiff competition from other star signings

Every English football fan is fully aware of the tale unfolding in the Midlands.

After a shock relegation last year, the club's ownership are not messing around to make sure the club don't follow in the footsteps of Sunderland and get stuck in the third tier for years upon years.

The front line was an area that saw a heavy overhaul. Jay Stansfield returned to the club on a permanent deal for a reported £20 million, with prolific goalscorer Alfie May also hopping over from promotion rivals, Charlton Athletic.

Lukas Jutkiewicz also remained with the Blues, leaving them with four excellent options up front.

Dykes had found himself struggling to find the net in the Championship, hitting just six goals in 41 appearances in 2023/24.

With Cifuentes keen on a style of play that didn't suit Dykes' strengths, a transfer seemed to work well for all parties involved.

However, when the 29-year-old linked up with his new club, Stansfield was yet to sign, which certainly meant his chances of playing were much greater. Now the former loanee has returned, Dykes has struggled for minutes, starting just two of his six matches with the club so far.

Taking into consideration his poor goal return over the last couple of seasons, in comparison with May's and Stansfield's, it seems that Dykes might be third in the pecking order right now.

Dykes yet to get off the mark for Birmingham

Sadly, that million spent is yet to start repaying itself, as Dykes has failed to register a single goal contribution so far.

With his two fellow strikers firing in the goals, it's becoming harder and harder for the 29-year-old to be afforded a spot in the starting eleven.

The Blues tasted defeat for the first time this season, as they fell at the Valley on Saturday, thanks to a Matt Godden goal.

Chris Davies made a dig at their opponents, Charlton Athletic, saying they'd "spent a fortune" in the summer, which many fans found ironic.

The million-pound man will need to impress his boss to force his way back into the team, and a negative result could help his case. Whilst the international break provides Davies with plenty of time to gloss over his issues.

If the Scot is to establish himself in the squad, he must take all the opportunities that are handed to him. Whilst his Championship goal record was sub-par, Dykes will be eager to get his first goal in the Blue of Birmingham, to build his confidence.

We've seen this be the case for many strikers before, and Dykes will be hoping that the goals will begin to flow once he's off the mark.

Overall verdict on Birmingham's acquisition of Dykes

It would be incredibly harsh to judge a player on six games as a flop.

However, nothing so far has indicated that the Scotland international is going to come close to the huge price the club paid for his services.

After a bitterly disappointing campaign last season, which saw Dykes miss out on Scotland's Euro 2024 squad, his confidence seems to have taken a massive knock.

Nobody can deny that having the former QPR striker will be a useful asset for Birmingham. He comes with a wealth of experience, which is extremely helpful, especially when helping some of the younger players adapt to the demands of senior football.

Since making the move to England back in 2020, if you look at the key statistics, it would seem that Dykes has declined with every season that has gone by. His spot in the Scotland squad has been lost, which would've been a devastating blow to the attacker.

Even a single million is an absurd amount of money to spend in League One. Despite this, the figures that have been thrown around for some of Birmingham's signings make the fee they paid for Dykes seem like back pocket change for the Midlands outfit, which probably isn't far from the truth.

All in all, the signing has been a failure so far, as Dykes has failed to contribute a single goal contribution for the Blues so far. It must be stressed, that this could turn very quickly, as the Scotsman will be hoping to find his shooting boots once again.