Blues will buy big to bolster frontline

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has clarified his summer spending plans and may have more than £10million to spend after identifying new strikers.

The Blues boss was widely reported as having the relatively modest figure to spend, after looking to play down the £40million reported to be at his disposal following the Carson Yeung takeover.

But although McLeish would not reveal his summer budget, the Scot is confident of having a "pretty good crack" at improving his squad – with fresh firepower at the top of his list.

He said: "Sometimes when things come over in print, people don't realise that's not the way I portrayed it.

"I'm very guarded about revealing the club's finances. But we will have a pretty good crack at the transfer market, with good resources.

"We are concentrating on our number one targets then we can flesh it out. We have a list of players we're working on.

"Like every other manager, you could always do with a bit more, but I think the ambition of the club is going to be there for everyone to see."

Blues have got by up front on Cameron Jerome and Christian Benitez aided by long-term substitute Kevin Phillips and McLeish is clearly looking to boost his frontline options.

The manager said: "My strategy is to try to enhance the quality in the forward areas. For the vast majority of the season, we've got by on two strikers.

"That's why I wasn't being negative when I said I can't keep pulling rabbits out of hats.

"We'll be lucky to keep everybody fit for more or less an entire season again, so we know we need to improve those front areas.

"The irony in this next window is that everyone will have fresh money.

"In January, where there were opportunities, the steps were too big for us because no one else was spending."