The transfer window is hotting up and Birmingham City have been linked with a move for 23-goal striker Alfie May.

Blues are in need of reinforcements at the top of the pitch following the expiration of Lyle Taylor and Onel Hernandez’s loan moves. With a sense of uncertainty surrounding the proposed takeover of Laurence Bassini, Blues may be in for another summer of free transfers and loans.

Alfie May would cost Blues a transfer fee, however, as he is under contract until 2024. This may make a move unlikely, but as seen with the arrival of Juninho Bacuna in January, there are some funds available for Lee Bowyer.

Career

May has spent the majority of his career in the lower leagues of English football, starting out with Billericay Town. The Englishman made the move into the EFL in 2016, joining Doncaster Rovers on a free transfer.

During his time in Doncaster May scored 23 goals in 117 appearances in all competitions. This return doesn’t show encouraging signs, especially in the 2018/2019 season where May scored just 2 goals in 34 league appearances.

Alfie May celebrating after scoring for Doncaster Rovers.

However, following a move to League Two Cheltenham, May’s return improved. He scored 6 in 12 appearances in his first half-season. The 2020/2021 season saw Cheltenham promoted from League Two, with the Englishman scoring 9 goals and assisting 7 in 36 league starts.

It was in League One last season that May produced his best return to date. In 40 league starts he scored 23 goals and assisted 4. This was a drastically better return for a player who had only scored 24 goals in his entire career prior to his move to Cheltenham.

Stats

In the 2021/2022 season, May scored 21 of his 23 goals from inside the box. This poacher-like return would draw comparisons with current Blues forward Scott Hogan.

Alfie May with the match ball after scoring 4 goals.

The Englishman displayed an ability to shoot with both feet, scoring 6 with his left and 16 with his right. This is again similar to Hogan who scored 3 with his left and 4 with his right last season.

May is an accurate passer, with a 72% success rate, however, his dribble success rate was only 41% in League One last season. This might suggest he wouldn’t add too much to Blues’ build-up play, which may be a problem for manager Lee Bowyer who wants to build play through the pitch.

Finally, an impressive stat for May last season was the number of chances created per 90. He created 1.35 chances per 90 (54 in 40 starts). This output may be difficult to recreate in the Championship.

THE VERDICT

Overall, May is a cheap option for Blues. He is a risk in terms of his lack of experience in the Championship and having only one season where he registered a productive goal-scoring campaign.

He is likely to be in demand, but Blues may look at more experienced targets before spending their limited resources on a striker like May.