Following somewhat of a resurgence during the latter stages of the previous campaign, it will be fascinating to see whether Birmingham City will be able to reach new heights under the guidance of manager Lee Bowyer in the coming months.
Ahead of his side's clash with Sheffield United this weekend, the 44-year-old has opted to make some significant changes to the club's squad.
As well as parting ways with the likes of Mikel San Jose, Jon Toral and Steve Seddon, Bowyer has managed to draft in a host of fresh faces.
Jordan Graham, Ryan Woods, Chuks Aneke have joined Birmingham on permanent deals whilst Dion Sanderson, Juan Familia-Castillo, Matijka Sarkic and Tahith Chong will be looking to impress during their respective loan spells at St Andrew's.
Not content with these particular arrivals, Bowyer is now reportedly eyeing up a move for a player who currently plays his football in France.
According to The Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath, Birmingham have submitted an enquiry to Clermont Foot over the availability of midfielder Brandon Baiye.
The Blues could potentially have to fend off competition from Hamburg for the 20-year-old as the German side are also understood to be interested in sealing a deal.
Baiye was loaned out by Clermont Foot for the entirety of the previous campaign to SC Austria Lustenau.
Before returning to the Ligue 1 side in June, Baiye managed to illustrate some real signs of promise in Austria's second-tier.
As well as providing his former team-mates with five assists, the midfielder also managed to find the back of the net on four occasions in 28 league appearances.
Considering that Baiye's current contract is set to expire in 2022, this summer represents the last opportunity that Clermont Foot will get to secure a respectable fee for him.
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If this report turns out to be true, it will be interesting to see whether Birmingham are able to convince Baiye to make the move to St Andrew's.
Whilst the midfielder did produce some impressive displays last season, it may take him some time to adjust to life in the Championship due to the fact that he has never played in this division before.
Furthermore, when you consider that Bowyer has the likes of Woods, Ivan Sunjic and Gary Gardner at his disposal, there is no guarantee that Baiye will be able to overtake this particular trio in the pecking order at Birmingham.
Keeping this in mind, the Blues boss may find it beneficial to focus on other targets who have managed to excel at this level during their careers instead of taking a risk on Baiye.
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