I read with interest Colin Tattum’s piece in the Birmingham Mail yesterday about Andros Townsend, and the possibility he might choose to stay with Blues on a permanent basis after his loan spell at St Andrews expires. It’s not something I’d thought about previously but on reflection it is a question that has merit – should Blues make an effort to sign the young winger?

Of course there is the tiny matter of a transfer embargo to get past first but I’m working on the assumption that will be lifted in the close season. There is also the fact Andros signed a five-year contract with Spurs back in December of last year and thus the London side may want a hefty transfer fee for him; however, I’m working on hypotheticals at the moment so we’ll sidestep that for the now.

I think Andros must be thinking of his future now. He’s 21 in July and as of yet hasn’t been able to nail down a first team place within the Spurs team. Townsend is at the age now where he can’t really be seen much as a “prospect” any more – he actually has to make good on his potential. He’s yet to make a league appearance for Tottenham and next year is his last one before he will have to be included in the 25 man squad. Blues are his eighth loan club now and I do wonder how much Andros will have thought about having to sort out something so he is playing week in, week out for a team permanently.

He’s in a similar position to one that former Blues players Scott Sinclair and Seb Larsson have been in – in that it’s obvious he’s got innate ability but he’s never been able to showcase it for his parent club. This is why it doesn’t surprise me that the idea of a permanent move has been mooted as it became evident to both of the aforementioned players that they would have to move on from their sides to get the first team football that their talent deserved. I don’t think either Sinclair or Larsson can be ashamed of having to leave their original clubs; both now ply their trade in the top flight and are seen to be very good players – moving on worked out for them.

I think it would benefit Blues too; whilst I think Townsend is still a bit rough around the edges it’s clear the talent is there and playing week in week out for a side like Blues would hone those edges to a make a more polished player. Whilst it’s debatable if Blues could afford to take on a player like Townsend the fact is definite that they couldn’t afford to take on an established top flight player with the potential ability that Andros possesses. However, with Andros being as young as he is he would have a high resale value and should he really impress then there is always the potential for a big money move to a top club. In short, it would be a win-win situation for Blues.

The only downside to me is Andros’ temperament. He’s been in a few training ground rucks – one in December of last year being the most recent and judging by his exit from Leeds he’s not the type of person to walk away from an argument meekly. It’s often been said that Chris Hughton has looked to bring in players that fit a particular type, and you have to trust that the fact Hughton has known Townsend since he was eight would be enough to keep Andros’ temper in check.

Would I sign Townsend? Yes, definitely. Let’s hope Blues are in the position soon where it can be a possibility rather than some hypothetical thoughts.

Tags: Andros Townsend