Birmingham City is reportedly considering a move to sign former Inter Miami striker Josef Martinez, who recently departed from the MLS club. Manager Wayne Rooney is said to be a fan of the Venezuelan forward and sees him as an ideal fit for his style of football. However, there may be potential obstacles to a potential deal, including the personal terms that Martinez would be seeking.
Birmingham is currently managing its finances due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and is looking to offload some high-earning players. Players like Neil Etheridge, Scott Hogan, and Ivan Sunjic are among the high earners at the club. Martinez’s departure from Inter Miami has attracted interest from various teams, including Premier League side Luton Town and Brazilian outfit Internacional.
Josef Martinez is known for his prolific scoring in MLS, having scored 111 goals in all competitions in 158 games during his time with Atlanta United. However, his move to Inter Miami in 2023 did not yield the desired impact, with Martinez scoring only 12 goals in 40 games in all competitions. Inter Miami had a challenging campaign, and Martinez’s role was overshadowed by the arrival of Lionel Messi and the ongoing rumors of Luis Suarez potentially joining the club.
While Birmingham City’s interest in Martinez is seen as a potential solution to the club’s striker issues, signing him before the transfer window opens may be subject to EFL regulations. According to these regulations, a player can only sign as a free transfer before January 1st if they were already a free agent before the end of the previous transfer window, which was not the case for Martinez.
Birmingham had actively sought to strengthen their attacking options during the summer transfer window, but their pursuit of strikers such as Josh Maja, Sory Kaba, and Andi Zeqiri proved unsuccessful. Wayne Rooney is eager to enhance the squad’s quality in the upcoming transfer window and push for a promotion race as a desired target.
Rooney’s tenure as manager at Birmingham City has faced challenges with three defeats in his first three games. The upcoming fixtures against Ipswich Town and Sunderland will provide additional tests for the under-pressure manager, who is keen to secure a win as soon as possible.
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