We’re amazed three Birmingham City players didn’t quit last month.
We’re surprised that three players are still wearing Blue.
The transfer window has officially closed, so those looking to relocate will have to wait until January.
Birmingham City had perhaps the best summer window in the Premier League. They used quality players all across the field.
Ethan Laird, Dion Sanderson, and Lee Buchanan all signed permanent contracts, giving St Andrews a new look on defense. In addition, Krystian Bielik bolstered the midfield options, while a slew of attacking talent was brought in, including Jay Stansfield, Tyler Roberts, Koji Miyoshi, Keshi Anderson, and Sikiri Dembélé.
Despite the addition of 11 new players, the Midlands club lost only seven senior players. This has left some assets who will battle for minutes this term and should have followed the rest out when they could.
Gary Gardner is one of two players whose contracts will expire next summer. This indicates Birmingham should have cashed in, unless they intend to play him.
Gardner’s decision to stay appears to be a poor one, since his playing time this season has been limited. This was to be expected, given that the 31-year-old only made three appearances in John Eustace’s Championship starting XI last season.
Aston Villa was the midfielder’s first professional club. After agreeing to a loan move to the Blues in 2018, he controversially made the inter-city transition. Gardner impressed and only missed four league appearances, earning him a permanent contract.
The Englishman has become a beloved figure after 124 appearances, but it may be time to move on.
Marc Roberts joined Birmingham from Barnsley in the summer of 2017 and has made little over 200 appearances. The 33-year-old is another player who will struggle for playing time this season and should have looked for greener pastures over the summer.
In the previous season, the center defender appeared in more matches than his midfield counterpart, but this number has gradually decreased.
His sole appearance this season has been a 23-minute cameo in the Blues’ Carabao Cup loss to Cardiff City.
Roberts has been a good servant over his six-year time in Birmingham, but most sportsmen seek consistent minutes, and the only way to get them is to move elsewhere.
It was surprising to see Alfie Chang stay at St Andrews over the summer instead of completing a loan move to a lower-tier club.
The 21-year-old midfielder progressed through the Birmingham junior system before making his first-team debut against Fulham in the Carabao Cup in 2021.
He has played in 20 matches for Eustace’s men so far, but has not been consistent. He has not played this season and has sat on the bench for three league games.
This was until Chang suffered a catastrophic knee injury that will keep him out for an extended amount of time. The youngster’s future is still bright, but a loan move should be considered.
