By Chris Burton Last updated: 22nd January 2008
Samaras: No longer needed
Alex McLeish has revealed that he will not be continuing with his efforts to sign Georgios Samaras from Manchester City.
With James McFadden and Mauro Zarate arriving at St Andrews during the transfer window the Birmingham boss now feels that he has sufficient attacking options.
Samara has made just five Premier League appearances for Manchester City this season and McLeish had been tracking the player for some time.
The two clubs had agreed a £2.5million fee for the Greek international, but in light of recent transfer activity the Blues boss has now admitted that the deal is unlikely to be revived.
"I cannot do that deal just now," McLeish told the Birmingham Mail.
"We have a lot of strikers at the club and I have to concentrate on another couple of positions.
"Time has just run on with the Samaras one.
"I had identified the big guy as a target five or six weeks ago and if I could have done it then, it would have been different.
"But things have dragged on and other people became available. McFadden became available, Zarate was an unexpected opportunity, therefore it created a problem with the Samaras one. So it's unlikely."
One of the positions which McLeish is keen to bolster during the next few days is his defence, with Aston Villa's Gary Cahill his preferred option.
Villa boss Martin O'Neill has already revealed that an initial bid from Birmingham has been turned down for the defender and McLeish accepts that a deal may not be possible.
"Martin O'Neill said he had a squad problem, injury-wise, and you could see from the fact Cahill was on the bench at Liverpool last night (Monday) that that was the case.
"Martin will be the guy who decides whether he comes to us at all.
"We have just got to watch this space with that one. In the meantime, I have to look at other options."

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| Sunday 8th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Hull vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | West Ham vs Everton |
| 15:00 | Wigan vs Fulham |
| 16:00 | Chelsea vs Man Utd |
| Monday 9th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Liverpool vs Birmingham |
| Saturday 21st November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Liverpool vs Man City |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Fulham |
| 15:00 | Burnley vs Aston Villa |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Wolverhampton |
| 15:00 | Hull vs West Ham |
| 15:00 | Sunderland vs Arsenal |
| 17:30 | Man Utd vs Everton |
| Sunday 22nd November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Bolton vs Blackburn |
| 15:00 | Tottenham vs Wigan |
| 16:00 | Stoke vs Portsmouth |
| Wednesday 25th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Hull vs Everton |
| 20:00 | Fulham vs Blackburn |
| Saturday 28th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | Fulham vs Bolton |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Hull |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Saturday 7th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Wolverhampton 1 - 4 Arsenal | |
| Man City 3 - 3 Burnley | |
| Tottenham 2 - 0 Sunderland | |
| Blackburn 3 - 1 Portsmouth | |
| Aston Villa 5 - 1 Bolton | |
| Wednesday 4th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Sunday 1st November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Birmingham 0 - 0 Man City | |
| Saturday 31st October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 2 - 0 Blackburn | |
| Sunderland 2 - 2 West Ham | |
| Portsmouth 4 - 0 Wigan | |
| Bolton 0 - 4 Chelsea | |
| Stoke 2 - 2 Wolverhampton | |
| Fulham 3 - 1 Liverpool | |
| Burnley 2 - 0 Hull | |
| Everton 1 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Arsenal 3 - 0 Tottenham | |
| Sunday 25th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| West Ham 2 - 2 Arsenal | |
| Man City 2 - 2 Fulham | |
| Liverpool 2 - 0 Man Utd | |
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