Birmingham finished the season in a lowly 19th position in the Championship, just five points above the relegation zone and Monk has a tough task at his hands to change things around at the club next term.
Apart from the 21-year-old Che Adams, who top-scored for the club with 9 goals, and on-loan Southampton attacker Sam Gallagher, none of the forwards really stepped up for Birmingham in the 2017/18 season.
They ended the campaign as the team with the joint-lowest number of goals in the English second division (38) alongside Burton Albion, who were relegated. Monk must address that issue ahead of the next campaign.
One player who could help him do that is Everton’s Ademola Lookman. The 20-year-old Englishman, who joined the Toffees from Charlton Athletic in January 2017, is considered as one of the most promising young talents in the country.
The player is talented but needs more game time to develop himself further. Signing him on loan could be a shrewd move by Garry Monk.
The 20-year-old started out at Waterloo FC before moving to Charlton Athletic in 2014, which is where he made a serious mark. Having made his debut for the Addicks in November 2015, he went on to play 25 times in the 2015/16 season, netting 5 goals in the process as Charlton were relegated to the League One.
He went on to make 25 appearances for them in all competitions next season, scoring 7 times and assisting two more before Everton came calling in the winter window.
The youngster made 16 appearances for the Merseysiders in the first half of the 2017/18 campaign, scoring two goals in the process. But with game time reducing under Sam Allardyce, he decided to leave the club on a loan spell to join German outfit RB Leipzig.
During his time with the Bundesliga club, Lookman caught everyone’s eyes with a series of impressive displays, as he finished with returns of 5 goals and 4 assists in 11 games and was directly involved in a goal in every 63.77 minutes he spent on the field.
Capable of playing anywhere across the front line or operate as an auxiliary forward in behind the main striker, Lookman has also been used in a No.10 role where he has impressed.
This highlights his versatility. Possessing plenty of pace, Lookman relies on his speed and dribbling to get past opponents and has the finishing abilities to back it up as well.
At 20 years of age, he is still very much a raw talent but has shown great promise and potential in his young career at the topmost level. He has some degree of experience in the Championship and the fact that he has proven himself in the Bundesliga indicates that he has the quality to make a difference for Birmingham next season.
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