Birmingham City are being very aggressive in the January transfer window and want to strike a deal for Carlos Vicente
11:49, 25 Jan 2026Updated 12:32, 25 Jan 2026
Carlos Vicente celebrates a goal for Deportivo Alaves(Image: )
Birmingham City are not holding back in the January transfer window.
Knighthead chief Tom Wagner is allowing director of football Craig Gardner and manager Chris Davies to spend every penny available in the hope of turning mid-table Blues into play-off contenders.
Kai Wagner, Jhon Solis, Ibrahim Osman and August Priske have been signed already and at least two more players are wanted by Davies.
Another winger is on Blues’ hit list and Alaves flier Carlos Vicente appears to be the man they really want.
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Blues are believed to be pursuing a deal for Vicente, despite rivalry from Dutch giants Ajax, and our eyes will be peeled to see whether he is involved for Alaves in their La Liga match with Real Betis tonight.
Wagner hinted on Saturday, during an address to supporters at the Knighthead Fan Park, that Blues’ next signing will be a Spanish speaker.
He also joked that ‘Craig Gardner is spending money like it grows on trees.’
Any deal for Vicente would see Blues part with in excess of £6million, possibly more, which would take their total spend this month towards the £15million mark.
So, why have Blues taken a shine to Vicente?
The 26-year-old has registered nine goals and three assists for Alaves this season despite no longer being a guaranteed starter at the Mendizorrotza.
Five of those strikes have come in the Copa del Rey, with four in La Liga – including goals against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
Last season, Vicente recorded 10 goal contributions in a league season where he was always available and started 35 matches for Alaves in Spain’s top flight.
Vicente is another winger who is fast and direct, which is how Davies described new wideman Osman. The Blues manager is determined to add speed, physicality and athleticism to his ranks this month.
Vicente isn’t one for stepovers or tricks; he beats his man the conventional route by running towards the byline and relying on his speed.
He has largely inverted as a right-winger this season but left-footed Vicente has played on his natural side in the past.
It is a right-winger Blues require to provide competition to Patrick Roberts and Vicente would be a very different option for Davies.
Describing Vicente, Alaves manager Eduardo Coudet said: “We’re a team that needs to work on movement and ball circulation. We lack that player who can dribble past opponents and create a goal from nothing. The closest to that role is Carlos Vicente, but he’s more comfortable moving wide than playing centrally.”
Vicente could add another layer of unpredictability to Blues’ attack.
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