This is Nicole’s latest blog. Originally published here. We re-publish with full permission.

With clubs like Portsmouth feeling the financial strain of over spending, Premier League clubs will be keen to avoid huge transfer fees by taking advantage of the loan scheme.

Within the Premier League you can loan 2 players off a fellow club (but no two players from the same club). Last season Blues plumped for Manchester City’s Joe Hart which was arguably the Premier League loan of the season, and Sunderland’s Teemu Tainio who unfortunately sustained an injury which cut his season short.

Blues are very light in cover across all areas of the pitch, and we would be kidding ourselves as fans if we really believed that management could afford to buy players to cover all the areas we need. To ensure we have players to be able to last the season, allowing for injuries and fatigue, we’re looking at needing at least one centre half, a left back, a winger and a striker.

If McLeish could emerge from this window with two very decent loan signings in tow, it could go a long way to ensuring Premier League survival for a second season. Joe Hart was instrumental to this last season, but now we have Ben Foster as a permanent signing, we can somewhat relax and focus on strengthening the outfield areas.

Realistically, we’re looking at the teams above us loaning us an outstanding youngster, or perhaps players who have become surplus to requirement at the moment due to new players arriving at their clubs.

Perhaps, however, we could go knocking on Manchester City’s door again in the hope of taking defender Nedum Onuoha on loan. Despite playing semi regularly in 2008-2009, injuries and new arrivals to the club have now seen the young defenders chances limited. His team mate Joe Hart had only positive things to say about the club, perhaps if Blues knocked at the door he could be persuaded to visit the Midlands for 9 months. The fact he is versatile and can play in the centre and at right back would mean we had options at the back, especially if we are going to face injury problems this season.

An option to add to midfield and cover the left hand side of the pitch could be Portsmouth’s loan signing last season, Jamie O’Hara. He received good reviews for his season on the coast, and perhaps if he isn’t to focus in Harry Redknapp’s plans this season, then he could move to the Midlands to get regular football. If O’Hara wasn’t an option, then why not Danny Rose, the scorer of THAT screamer against Arsenal last season. Despite him getting on the score sheet, that was the only league appearance he made last season. Although he’s relatively unknown except for that goal, he must have something about him to be signed for the Spurs first team, perhaps a season at somewhere like Blues could really show what this young player is made of?

Can we loan someone with the talent of Mikael Forssell? I’m not sure that a striker will be coming to Blues on loan from a fellow Premier League club. Blues struck lucky when they loaned Mikael Forssell from Chelsea and he went on to be a complete hit at St. Andrews. Blues dipped their toes into loaning a foreign striker in the shape of Christian Benitez, who struggled to set the league alight. It’s difficult to judge whether a player will translate their own domestic form into the Premier league, and even if they are outstanding, you run the risk that someone bigger is going to come along and buy them from under your nose.

Maybe this would be where, if McLeish was going to explore the options here, he would possibly talk to fellow manager Sir Alex Ferguson and perhaps see whether United had a young striker who was ready for first team Premier League experience. Signing someone on loan until January maybe could prove enough time to see whether a gamble could pay off. Loan moves like these when they work well are massively beneficial to all three parties, and if it works out well there is always a possibility that you could get the player permanently.

Whilst Blues are currently on tour in Asia, it seems highly unlikely that any new faces or much business will be conducted at all. By the time the players are back at Wast Hills, perhaps McLeish and his backroom staff will have identified some possible loan moves for Premier League players that they can slot into the squad for the start of the season. With teams like Manchester City spending in a big way, there perhaps will be talent that other clubs like Blues can take full advantage of to bolster the squad without any hard commitment.

Nicole C