As per reports from Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet, EFL Championship outfit Birmingham City are close to clinching the signing of left-back Kristian Pedersen.
The 23-year-old has also been linked with a move to Birmingham’s Championship rivals Leeds United but it seems like the Blues are set to beat current manager Garry Monk’s former employers to the signing of the Danish defender for a transfer fee of £2.3million.
Having started his career with Benlose IF, Pedersen also had a stint at Ringsted IF, before bursting on to the scenes with HB Koge, whom he joined in the summer of 2014.
The Dane went on to spend two years at the club, clocking up 63 appearances, in which he managed to score three goals and register a solitary assist, before moving to Germany to join up with Union Berlin in the 2. Bundesliga.
Pedersen went on to establish himself as a key member of the German second division outfit in his debut campaign, finishing the 2016/17 season with 31 appearances across all competitions, in which he laid on two assists.
The 23-year-old’s performances improved drastically in the 2017/18 season, as he netted one goal and registered 4 assists in 32 league games, as Union Berlin finished 8th in the table.
Standing at over 6ft 2in tall, Pedersen can be an extremely strong presence in the air, which makes him a great asset when attacking and defending set-piece situations. A strong tackler of the ball as well, the former Denmark U-21 international possesses solid defensive nous and is a good at judging when to romp forward and when to stay back.
A decent crosser of the ball as well, he has at times been used in an advanced role down the left-wing too.
Birmingham City have just Jonathan Grounds as a specialist left-back in their ranks. The Englishman did not have the best of the seasons for Monk’s side, as he went without scoring or assisting a single goal in 26 Championship appearances throughout the 2017/18 campaign.
While the 26-year-old Maxime Colin did do well in the left-back slot, scoring twice and assisting one more in 38 games, he is predominantly right-footed, which ends up making him predictable and easier to deal with when he gets forward from the left-hand side.
This is where the signing of Pedersen could prove to be extremely handy for City. He may not be the most famous footballer around but the 23-year-old is young, dynamic and has shown that he can impact the game at both ends of the pitch. Given his age, there is still plenty of room for growth and improvement, which makes him an enticing prospect for Monk and Birmingham.
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