Stockdale deal shows Harry can draw stars

IT’S six weeks since Harry Redknapp finished his salvage operation by steering Birmingham City away from the Championship rocks.

Since then we’ve seen him confirmed as permanent manager, his backroom team completed and a new goalkeeper brought to St Andrew’s.

The recruitment of David Stockdale from Premier League Brighton certainly raised more than a few eyebrows.

That’s been the only complete deal so far but amid the maelstrom of speculation and rumour, a few things have become clear.

Redknapp started the window by speaking in terms of a handful of free transfers and loans – but we’re not talking about a League One or Championship trolley dash here.

Yes, Stockdale was a free agent but Blues outbid recently-relegated Middlesbrough for the 31-year-old – even though they are flush with parachute payments and in desperate need of a goalkeeper.

Stockdale was much in demand but Blues had the financial clout to get the deal done. Redknapp’s name and reputation is also an important bargaining chip.

We’ve known for a while the era of austerity is over – the deals for Diego Fabbrini, Che Adams, Emilio Nsue, Craig Gardner, Lukas Jutkiewicz, Kerim Frei and Cheick Keita have shown that.

But reports of John Terry being offered around £100,000 a week

Don’t be surprised if we’re all surprised a few more times this year

suggest the owners are willing to make a huge investment and that virtually nothing is off the table.

The Stockdale transfer took everyone by surprise.

Perhaps even more impressive than the actual deal was the fact it was kept so quiet for so long. Only in the final few hours did anything filter out.

With Redknapp, Jeff Vetere and Darren Dein working behind the scenes, don’t be surprised if we’re all surprised a few more times this summer.

The boss has a clear idea of what, and who, he wants to improve the team – the Stockdale transfer showed he’s keeping it to himself too.

Another surprising factor in the Stockdale move was the fact it came around a month after Blues gave Tomasz Kuszczak and Connal Trueman new deals and also took up the option on Adam Legzdins.

That shows if Redknapp thinks there’s an upgrade out there he won’t have a second thought going for it.

Nsue was one of Blues’ best players in the final month of last season – yet Blues have been linked with several right-backs.

Keita was brought in for £1 million and – whatever his defensive shortcomings – six months on there’s a rumour about Ajax leftback Mitchell Dijks.

Centre-back is clearly an area for reinforcement and it appears there’s an emphasis on building from the back.

Redknapp has made it abundantly clear he is not messing about and said: “You need to keep looking to improve your team, unfortunately there’s no room for sentiment in this game. You have got to make decisions, it doesn’t make you popular with some people but that’s football.

“I have got to get players in that are going to make the difference to this team, take this team from fifth from bottom to up there challenging for the top spots.”

It looks as though it’s going to be an incredibly exciting summer for Birmingham supporters, in terms of quality AND perhaps even quantity.