“Has the potential to play at a higher level” – Southampton register interest in Birmingham City player: The verdict

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Premier League side Southampton are monitoring Birmingham City teenage midfielder Jordan James ahead of a potential move in the summer, Football League World exclusively reported yesterday.

The 17-year-old has been a first-teamer under Lee Bowyer this term, remaining above fellow youngster Jobe Bellingham as things stand and becoming a regular starter in the West Midlands with 17 league appearances to his name so far this season.

His emergence and promising performances have attracted interest from several top-tier sides including the Saints, Everton, West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton and Hove Albion.

However, any top-flight club that approaches officials at St Andrew’s regarding a potential move for the teenager will need to fork out a hefty amount to lure him away from his current club with the midfielder contracted to the second-tier outfit until 2024.

His deal may even be extended past that with Birmingham engaging in fresh talks with the 17-year-old over an extension, possibly making a deal difficult to conclude for the Saints and others.

Looking at this situation from Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side’s point of view though, would this be a good addition on the south coast? Is he a needed figure at St Mary’s?

We asked three of our writers at Football League World for their verdicts.

Toby Wilding

This does feel like it could be a smart signing for the future for Southampton.

At his age, and with just a few first-team games under his belt for Birmingham, it would feel a bit too