Blues land Argentine star on loan

The forward, who joins from Qatar club Al Saad, scored the winner for his country in the final of the Under-20 World Cup last summer.

"He's young and energetic with that Argentinian touch and flair," Blues boss Alex McLeish told BBC WM.

"If he can come in and make things happen in the final third then he can win us games."

Zarate arrives at St Andrew's on loan until the end of the season but Blues have an option to make the deal permanent in the summer.

Following last week's purchase of David Murphy and James McFadden, he is unlikely to be the last new addition to the Blues squad before the end of the transfer window.

"I have only seen him fleetingly but he was one of the players of the youth tournament."
Blues boss Alex McLeish

Blues have been linked with a £2m move for Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras, but McLeish is staying tight-lipped on that one.

"We're not going to comment at the moment until we have something to say," he said. "We are trying to get more players in, but I'm not going to say who."

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