Alex McLeish is adamant it is important to have players who know the English game in order to be competitive. The blues boss told The Birmingham Post that he has taken a gamble signing Championship players but believes they are more than capable of holding their own in the Premier League.

"My main aim was to bring English players to the club and if I had gone for the Premier League status players then the prices go beyond our reach," he said.

"So we pushed the boat out a wee bit and got a couple of young players who have done very well in the Championship. They don't have Premier League experience, although they have played against Premier League teams, so that's a huge challenge to them as well, to improve."