Tony Mowbray has not ruled out moving Jordan James, but believes Birmingham City will demand a premium for one of their stars.
James came off the bench to score a 95th-minute equaliser for Blues against Swansea City. Following a recent goal glut, the 19-year-old now has six Championship goals for the season.
And Serie A team Atalanta is interested in signing Wales international James during the current transfer window, after having three bids rejected by the Blues. Blues are asking a large fee for James, who appeared heartbroken in front of the Tilton after the final whistle on Saturday.
“At the moment, I’ve got nothing for you,” new Blues manager Mowbray said. “The youngster wants to play; I could tell he was upset and disappointed when I told him he’d be on the bench. I just wanted to be solid in the middle today, but I also want footballers who can break lines and get past defenders, which I believe he can do with his power.
“Is anything happening? There’s nothing I can say right now, but I wouldn’t rule anything out. I’ve said in public, ‘You don’t want to sell your best young players. If we sell our greatest young player and bring in four really talented players who can help us in the Championship, I will think about it because what is most important for this football club is that we stabilize this year and continue to improve.
“I feel that by the summer, we should all expect to be at the top of the table the next year based on the recruits that we bring. Let’s wait and see.
“We do not want to sell our best young players, and he demonstrated today that he belongs in that group. I don’t want to tell our fans, ‘Don’t worry, he’s not going,’ because he might walk into my office, look me in the eye, and say he wants to go.
“Sometimes you want players who want to be with you. Why wouldn’t you want to improve the team’s midfield and wings with a centre-forward and a centre-half? This kid isn’t worth a couple of million dollars; he’s worth a lot more if it gets done.”
James was one of the few Blues players to prosper throughout their terrible run of form under previous manager Wayne Rooney. Some were stunned to see James left out of Mowbray’s starting lineup for his debut match.
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