£3m signing and 148-goal striker - How Birmingham City's rivals tried to close the gap
Birmingham City didn't blow anyone away with their January transfer business, but they still impressively topped up the various gaps in their squad with three very useful additions with differing levels of Championship experience. Having allowed Ayumu Yokoyama and Dion Sanderson to leave on loan, and with Lee Buchanan out injured, there was a need for Blues to source cover in a number of departments.
Kieran Dowell was recruited on loan from Rangers, joining teammate Ben Davies at St Andrew's, while Grant Hanley's signing allowed both Sanderson to leave and also Phil Neumann to remain with Hannover 96 until the summer, before he moves to England at the end of the season. South Korean international Lee Myung-jae, meanwhile, has joined compatriot Paik Seung-ho and competes with Alex Cochrane on the left of defence.
What were teams elsewhere getting up to, though? Blues, of course, are in pole position to return to the Championship having established a gap to themselves and the chasing pack at the top of the League One table, and with games and opportunities to extend their lead, in hand. Some clubs did business in an attempt to try and close the gap in the remainder of the campaign.
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2. Wycombe Wanderers
Second placed Wycombe have endured a turbulent window; they lost manager Matt Bloomfield to Luton Town and loanees Caleb Taylor and Aaron Morley were recalled by West Brom and Bolton respectively, although the former was permitted back to Adams Park before the deadline.
Striker Richard Kone, who is the division's top scorer with 16 goals, was chased by Bloomfield and Luton and the subject of offers, but the Chairboys, now managed by former Blues academy boss Mike Dodds, held onto the in-demand forward.
Elsewhere, Wycombe added Anders Hagelskjær from Molde, Magnus Westergaard from Viborg, playmaker Alex Lowry from Rangers and James Berry from Chesterfield. On deadline day, they sealed deals for goalkeeper Will Norris, free agent and former West Brom winger Adam Reach and young right-back Fin Back from Nottingham Forest.
3. Wrexham
Keen to close the gap to the automatic promotion places, the Red Dragons sanctioned three deals. They brought in experienced forward Jay Rodriguez from Burnley, spent over £2m on exciting striker Sam Smith from Reading and then attracted winger Ryan Longman from Hull City.
They also allowed pair Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and James Jones to join League One rivals Burton Albion, who are fighting to remain in the division under Gary Bowyer, and also bid farewell to Billy Waters who left for Oldham.
4. Stockport County
Stockport are looking to put together three promotions in the space of four years and are well placed in the play-offs having enjoyed a highly successful first half of the season. Their aspirations took a blow before January, though, when it was confirmed that top scorer Louie Barry would be recalled by Aston Villa.
They signed Benony Breki Andresson and Owen Moxon, from Portsmouth, while they struck deadline day deals with former Blues striker Sam Cosgrove from Barnsley and Brad Hills from Norwich - both on loan. Sam Hughes was allowed to leave on loan to join Peterborough United.
5. Huddersfield Town
For the Terriers, like Blues tipped to make an immediate return to the Championship, it's looking as though it'll be a play-off campaign - at best - unless they produce something special in the run-in. They have, though, spent in the winter window to bolster their chances of making in-roads and signed Dion Charles from Bolton Wanderers and spent around £3m on Joe Taylor of Luton Town.
Ruben Roosken, the left-back, as joined from Heracles Almelo and Tawanda Chirewa joined on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers after an unsuccessful spell at Derby County. There was a clear-out, too; Town allowed Bojan Radulovic to move to Fortuna Sittard on loan and sold Jaheim Headley, Kieran Phillips, Michal Helik and Kian Harratt.
