Thursday 18 September 2014 17:24, UK
Birmingham boss Lee Clark is determined to keep hold of the club’s best young talent as he bids to guide the Blues back to the Premier League.
The Blues rejected a £500,000 transfer deadline day bid from Crystal Palace for 18-year-old winger Demarai Gray, who has gone on to make six appearances this term, the latest as a second-half substitute in Saturday’s 2-0 home reverse to Sheffield Wednesday.
But what I try to say to young players like Demarai is do they really want to go end up being in these big clubs' under-21 team when they can stay with us and get into the (realms) of hundreds of Championship appearances?
Clark wants Gray and other young talent to stay and learn their trade at St Andrew's and help fire the Blues back to the big time.
The Blues boss told the Birmingham Mail: “How important is it that we fend off these clubs? Imperative.
“We have lost too many good players I didn’t want to lose in the first couple of years here.
“I mean, you don’t want to lose the Nathan Redmonds of this world, the Curtis Davies. You lose those players and it’s difficult.
“But we have produced some more.
“I had a good conversation with Demarai and his mum, the early part of last week, because I felt it was necessary after turning down the move on deadline day.
“It was to explain how I see his future. And the fact we have got the same agent would probably make me furious anyway if he was to leave!
“We have to have him around. He showed on Saturday what a fantastic young talent he is.
“Him staying with us, getting a number of games under his belt, and hopefully one day getting back to the Premier League with Birmingham City, as a local boy, is the ideal scenario.
“Ultimately that is where he is going to end up (the Premier League).
“To keep these players, while we are still a Championship club - even though the history of us, the size of us - is not easy.
“When you have got players like that courted by Premier League clubs, when you are not in there yourself, it makes it even more difficult.
“But what I try to say to young players like Demarai is do they really want to go end up being in these big clubs' under-21 team when they can stay with us and get into the (realms) of hundreds of Championship appearances?
“That’s how we have to play it.”
