Birmingham City transfer decisions vindicated as teen starlet compared to Virgil van Dijk

Many complaints have been made about Birmingham City's transfer business in recent years, with millions of pounds spent on players in fees and wages who just did not cut it.

The club are trying to be better, smarter and more efficient in that department to reverse years of poor decisions. The January transfer window may have been a perfect illustration of that at work.

Blues were hopeful that they might be able to get Dion Sanderson back on loan from Wolves, after he had been recalled by his parent club. They waited and waited, until the club got tired of waiting and brought in Teden Mengi on loan from Manchester United instead, who has performed well when fit.

Harlee Dean, who had come in for criticism for his performances this season, was also loaned out to League One outfit Sheffield Wednesday to alleviate a small portion of his £20,000-per-week salary off the wage bill. That paved the way for Nico Gordon to get his opportunity in the first team.

The 19-year-old defender has been sensational since coming into the team, dovetailing beautifully with Marc Roberts to raise the level of the defence as a group. In the five games he has started since making his Championship debut last month, Blues have kept three clean sheets and lost just once, to promotion contenders Middlesbrough.

The defence as a whole was praised by the fans in the wake of their 1-0 win over Midlands rivals West Brom on Sunday, but Gordon took the majority of the plaudits from the supporters. His performances have vindicated Lee Bowyer's decision to thrust him into senior football at such a young age and fully justified some of their transfer dealings in the winter.

Here is a snapshot of what some Birmingham City fans think of the young prospect