Chesterfield striker Kabongo Tshimanga will return to training after his move to Birmingham City dramatically collapsed on deadline day.

What happened?

The 25-year-old seemed set for a dream transfer to the Championship until a hitch emerged in the final hour.

As a result, the striker was left out of last Saturday’s National League win at Oldham and could play for the first time against Gateshead this weekend. Gary Roberts, first-team coach, told Derbyshire Times: “He is back in tomorrow. With Kabby, it has been a rough couple of days for him with the (transfer) window shutting and stuff like that.

Why it matters for Chesterfield

The failure to close a deal for Tshimanga left Blues a striker down over the course of the window after Sam Cosgrove left on loan for Plymouth. Scott Hogan, Troy Deeney, and Lukas Jutkiewicz are John Eustace’s remaining options up front.

Current context

| Category | Stat | | --- | --- | | League standing | 6th in League Two, 79 pts, 21W-16D-9L from 46 games | | Recent form | DLWWD | | Goals this season | 71 scored, 56 conceded (+15 goal difference) | | Title race | 8 points behind leaders Bromley | | Last result | Notts County 0-0 Chesterfield (2026-05-15) | The Spireites will look to bounce back from their recent form, with Tshimanga's return to training a welcome boost. As Chesterfield look to push for a higher league position, they will need all their players fit and ready, including Tshimanga, who has dominated the non-league scoring charts for the last three seasons.