When West Ham United dropped into the Championship, reports suggesting that a 29-year-old, free-agent centre-back with nearly 300 second-tier appearances had become their ‘top target’ felt like a sign of the times.

Dael Fry, from one perspective, would have been a solid, experienced, affordable bit of business. From another, it was an symbol of their decline.

According to club insider ExWhuEmployee, speaking in early-June, Dael Fry was not only the Hammers’ ‘top target’ for the centre-back spot, but also their most ‘realistic’ addition. Ex also revealed that talks had taken place with the former England U21 international, with a deal seemingly ‘advancing’.

Birmingham City pounced when West Ham United called off Dael Fry deal

In the end, spurred on by the mega-money sales of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville, West Ham would drop their interest in Fry. An influx of cash – plus Konstantinos Mavropanos opting to stick around – sparked a change of plans.

When Morato eventually arrived on loan from Nottingham Forest in January, the Hammers landed themselves a centre-back with a track record at a much higher level than Fry; nine Champions League appearances and 47 in the Premier League.

Morato also gave Nuno, his former boss at Forest, the versatility he was looking for. The Portuguese has played as a left-back so far, with Mavropanos and Max Kilman firmly established in the middle.

As for Fry, when West Ham stopped short of taking the final step, Birmingham City moved in. The former Middlesbrough stalwart inked a three-year deal at St Andrews on July 3rd.

Minutes have been in very short supply since then. In fact, it is only thanks to his brief cameo in last month’s 2-1 win at Derby County that we can use the plural. Because Fry has only played two minutes of Championship football in a Birmingham shirt.

Fry has barely featured in the Championship for Birmingham

Phil Neumann and Christoph Klarer have started every single league match at the heart of that Blues backline. Understandably, following 13 points from a possible 15, manager Chris Davies has no plans to change a victorious formula.

“I see [Fry] as a really important player,” Davies said a few weeks back. “I’ve had some really good conversations with him and he’s a leader already, [but] he’s having to bide his time. He’s patient, he’s a good character, he knows the game and knows that in a 50-game season we’re eight games in.”

Fry may prove his worth in time, as Birmingham look to keep the pace with West Ham and Swansea at the top. A frantic festive fixture period is on the horizon, after all. The depth of many a squad will be tested over Christmas.

But after pulling the plug on a transfer that would have proved highly contentious among Hammers fans hoping to see a little more ambition in the market, Fry hardly feels like ‘one that got away’ right now.