Harry’s battle to bring Downing to the Blues
BIRMINGHAM City are locked in negotiations with Middlesbrough over winger Stewart Downing, having conceded that Boro would need to fund part of the player’s salary to force through a deal.
Harry Redknapp is a long-term admirer of Downing and tried to sign him from Boro a number of years ago when he was manager of Spurs.
It didn’t come off that time and the Blues boss is desperate to avoid a repeat this time around.
The Birmingham Post spoke to Dominic Shaw, of the Teesside Gazette, to gain an insight into Blues’ top transfer target.
He said: “Last season was a really up and down year for Downing. After his first season at Boro it was clear his relationship with Aitor Karanka was spiky – yet Downing started the season well and the then-manager was full of praise for him.
“Karanka described him as a “completely different player” last September, but within a couple of months he was out of the team.
“Come January, when asked about his absence, Karanka said Downing had “missed something tactically” and it looked as though he’d leave that month.
“As it was, he remained a Boro player and went from bit-part figure to nailed-on starter when Steve Agnew took charge for the final 11 games.’’
Shaw revealed that given Downing’s rocky relationship with Karanka, he would have been looking forward to starting afresh this summer and attempting to impress a new boss.
But before the players returned for pre-season, Garry Monk sat down with the winger and told him he would be allowed to find a new club. What would he offer Blues? Shaw said: “Experience and bags of it. More than 450 league appear- ances, 35 England caps – Downing’s pedigree is perhaps not quite appreciated.
“Give him the opportunity and his delivery from the left flank is still top class. It will be interesting, should the move go ahead, though, to see if Harry Redknapp uses him on the wing or in a central role.
“At West Ham, before he signed for Boro, he was playing some of the best football of his career as a No.10 and he made it quite clear when he returned to Teesside that that was where he wanted to play.
“But he never really got a consistent spell in that position, with Karanka preferring Gaston Ramirez. Downing doesn’t have the pace he possessed when he first burst on to the scene and he doesn’t beat a man on the flank with the ease he used to.
“At times, as well, you’d like to see him use his undoubted quality and take responsibility and really boss a game a bit more.
“What Downing will be looking to do this season, if he’s playing in the Championship, is make more of an impact than he did two seasons ago.
“He helped Boro win promotion, which was the dream when he resigned for the club, but we didn’t see the very best of him this year.’’