NEW SIGNING

Greek football has welcomed Darren Ambrose as the new major signing after the Birmingham city midfielder made the move to Apollon Smyrni.

The 29-year-old has played for the likes of Crystal Palace in the past, but he has been out of favour at Birmingham since the move in 2012. He moved to the St Andrews two years ago on a two-year contract, but he has made just 10 appearances during this period. He will leave the club immediately on a loan deal to Athens, which will last till the end of the season.

He will then be able to sign for Apollon Smyrni on a free transfer. Blues manager Lee Clark has said that the signing of Ambrose has not worked for several reasons, but he is sure that the 29-year-old has a lot of quality to offer to his new club. Ambrose may have played a little football during his time at Birmingham, but he was providing the team with much-needed strength in reserve. Clark is expected to enter into the transfer market in order to strengthen the team. They were expected to challenge for at least the play-off in the summer, but Birmingham are closer to the relegation zone.

They have managed just one win in the last five matches.
"For whatever reason, it hasn't worked out here. That can happen in a player's career. I've no doubt there's a talented player there. It's a fresh start for his family and the weather will be a bit warmer there. I've got a budget that's been set out for me as to what I can do in the January window and Darren's departure doesn't really add to it. I'm just trying to juggle where we most need to strengthen," said Blues boss Lee Clark ahead of the FA Cup match with Swansea.